Naruto: ONI
by TheWriteFiction
Summary: What if Momoshiki and Kinshiki came to Earth early while Naruto was still a child? Five years after the Kyuubi attack on Konoha, Naruto stumbles across a tome connected to his heritage and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. During which time, his training draws the attention of the Otsutsuki, setting off a chain of events that will ultimately change his destiny. Naruto/Harem
1. Prologue

**Author's Note IMPORTANT: Hello. To all those who are wondering, I had a brain wave.**

 **Much like with my Dragonball Z: Golden Age story, I've decided to make some changes to this one.**

 **After much deliberation and consideration, I'm deleting the Academy Arc chapters I wrote after the Otsutsuki Arc. I want to erase the OCs I included and write the story in a different way, and because I enjoyed the way I wrote the Otsutsuki Arc, I'm keeping the Otsutsuki Arc the same. This way I can be rid of the Otsutsuki without having to worry about them popping up and ruining future events... which eventually leads to the horrendous Boruto series. Love it or hate it, I personally don't like it. So don't expect Boruto showing up in this timeline.**

 **Anyhow, that's all I have to say in case anyone is wondering where the other chapters disappeared to.**

* * *

 **Naruto**

 _ **ONI**_

 _Prologue_

(Five Years after Kyuubi Attack)

For as long as he could remember Naruto had always been alone. It was a circumstance and sensation that had constantly surrounded him, since his years growing up in the orphanage and all the way up to his first few months at the academy. Though he couldn't remember exactly when it all started, the youngster knew that it was a curse that he'd been branded with before he could even form words in his mouth- a cold, oppressive feeling of invisibility that made every waking hour of his existence a living torment.

Hell, his situation only seemed to get even worse after he was moved into his own apartment on the edge of the suburban districts at the age of four, by which point his isolation from the rest of the world only seemed to grow.

On many occasions Naruto had attempted to fix his situation through various means. First he tried approaching other children to ask them if he could join in on their games and become part of their social circles. Maybe then he would be able to finally do away with the plague that constantly floated around him and made him feel unwanted. But no matter how many times he tried, none of the children wanted to come close to him. It was like he was a bad odor.

Every single one of them were either turned away by their parents or ran off on their own accord, every so often giving up some kind of excuse to soften the blow of excluding the blond from their activities. Initially Naruto went along with it- figuring it was a phase that all children went through in order to get used to one another. But after experiencing the same process of rejection several times in a row, the orphan started to feel more and more dishearten by the day.

He then tried approaching his adults and guardians for help. However, just like it was everywhere else, almost all the villagers either ignored him, kept their distance, or chased him away. What's more they always gave him the same look- one of utter contempt and indifference.

It was that last bit that Naruto hated the most… and it was the same day after day after day…

The idea of being constantly ignored and shunned both upset and irritated the boy something awful. Though he did receive counsel and reassurance from Hiruzen Sarutobi, their current Hokage and beacon of light within the village, Naruto was unable to shake the feelings of dismay weighing on his shoulders. Though he was able to keep a stiff upper lip thanks to the occasional kindness shown to him by Teuchi and Ayame at the ramen noodle shop, the child still had nobody.

No family to return home to and no friends to hang out with.

It was rough for a child his age. However- being the strong-willed and determined boy that he was- Naruto kept marching forward, wading through each day with a false smile, and hoping that somehow things just might turn around for him. He even took to pulling pranks on the villagers, not just to vent out his frustrations, but also to receive some level of acknowledgement from them that he was there and that he was alive.

But while those moments had given him varying levels of momentary enjoyment, they were but fleeting instances of human contact and communication for an otherwise company starved adolescent. Definitely not enough to cheer him up for long.

After one particularly rough day at school, in which Naruto had gotten into a fight with a bunch of boys that'd been picking on a yong pink haired girl from his class, who he'd quickly stepped in to defend and- as usual- gotten the crap kicked out of him, the unlucky blond soon found himself slogging his way to _Ichiraku's Ramen._

Nursing the black eye and swollen cheek on the right side of his face, the whisker-marked youngster gave a low grumble as he once again ended up walking a clear and empty path. This was due to the fact that everyone standing in front of him had stepped off the road to make way for him, just like they did every single time he drew near.

This was not a good thing however, as evident by the cold and displeased looks on their faces, which they were either directing or not directing towards the orphan, depending on the angle.

The irate expression Naruto wore only seemed to increase when he passed yet another flock of ignorant adults, the oppressive bubble of complete and utter isolation enclosing around him even further. It was suffocating… gut-wrenching… unbearable…

The sounds of shuffling feet and the clamor of the crowd soon faded to nothing as Naruto chose once more to close himself off from his surroundings, all so that he could better absorb the blow of crushing loneliness. Doing so also allowed the youngster a moment longer to his troubled thoughts, which did little to comfort him.

" _Why does everybody hate me?"_ It was a question Naruto had asked himself over a hundred times already, and for the hundredth time would go on unanswered. As a result, an unpleasant, stomach turning shiver rushed through Naruto's body like a blast of ice, during which time he kept his eyes trained to the floor and his hands sheathed in his pockets. _"Why is the world so unfair?"_

These were sensible queries, but for some reason were just impossible to resolve. Even the Hokage, the one man Naruto looked up to and respected the most in this village, couldn't give him any straight answers. He would always tactically dodge the issue and word out some pretty response in order to cheer the blond up, like how he should stick to his current path, never let the actions of others get to him, and that with enough patience and hard work, something good would eventually come around.

Though the blond had done his best to stay the course up until this point, with each passing day the adolescent Naruto was finding it more and more difficult to keep going. The further he went, the heavier the bricks of sadness and contempt of the world seemed to rest atop his shoulders.

When the child passed by a young couple and distinctly heard the man's words of 'don't look', Naruto's frown deepened.

" _Why…"_

He had no clan. No family. No friends. No home. And no respect or byline for his existence given to him in any way.

In simple terms, his entire situation sucked.

"Stupid village, dattebayo."

Exhaling sharply so that he didn't lose his temper, the aimlessly wandering youngster then prepared to make a left turn towards his favorite noodle bar, hoping ahead of time that he would be able to gain some human interaction from the middle-aged store owner and his daughter- the latter of whom was training to become a ramen chef as well. Conversations with them always helped to brighten his usually dreary days, as they didn't seem to mind his company. That was as a regular, favorite customer of course.

But just as he started down the narrow dirt road, with three story buildings lining either side of him and marking his path, Naruto was suddenly shaken from his brood by a loud clutter, followed immediately by a raspy yelp of frustration.

"Confound it all!" the tired yet still incredibly sharp voice of an elderly woman suddenly called out, who'd just seconds ago had just been stepping out from inside the adjacent fruit and vegetable store. Naruto stopped in an instant and turned to see the white-haired lady in the purple shawl bend over to pick up a bunch of potatoes that had spilled out of the bottom of one of her three bags. "Damn, cheap plastic. What kind of idiot thought this was a good idea? Hey! You over there!"

Perking up when he saw the elder looking straight at him, the startled Naruto took a second to glance around before pointing at himself. "M-Me?"

"Yes! You! Don't just stand there gaping at me like a goldfish! Come over and help me pick this up!" the woman barked in an impatient tone, at the same time shakily kneeling down to collect her vegetables and other dropped goods.

Despite being in a miserable state himself- as well as not being one to shirk off good manners- the blond youngster standing in the middle of the road begrudgingly jogged over to promptly help the senior with her things. During which time the youngster, displaying somewhat of a miffed disposition, also couldn't help but grumble under his breath at how he was the one that'd managed to be singled out for this chore.

Now it was like the world was intentionally going out of its way to make his existence difficult by taking advantage of his good nature.

As soon as all of the fruits and vegetables she'd dropped had been loaded back into one of her other two remaining bags, Naruto stood up, dusted off his knees, and slowly started to back away.

"Well… that's all of it. So long, baachan," the blond bid in a low voice, wanting to make his retreat as smooth and casual as possible.

The elderly woman of short stature and hair done up into a top bun, turned to the child with a disapproving scowl. "And where do you think you're going, gaki?" she asked, prompting the child to stop abruptly in his tracks. "What? Did you think I was done with you, yet? Fat chance, dattebatte." Her little exclamation at the end had Naruto balk a little at how similar it sounded to his own. "The bags I'm holding are twice as heavy now. I can't possibly lug them all the way back to my place on my tired, aching feet. Why not be a good lad and help me carry one?"

Eye twitching, yet his head still managing to see reason behind the crone's pushy request, the exasperated orphan reluctantly walked back to the old lady, upon which the latter unceremoniously dumped BOTH bags on his person. Lurching a little due to the sudden extra weight in his arms, the child hastily corrected himself before starting to stagger alongside the crabby villager- all the while hoping that her place wasn't too far away.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the person he'd inadvertently became a temporary pack mule for was so old- to the point Naruto swore she'd been around since the time of the Second Hokage- the journey to the woman's ground-floor home took a lot longer than he'd anticipated. Even though it was only a couple of blocks away, by the time they finally made it to her front steps, dusk had already started to settle in. The sight of the darkening sky and the stars beginning to twinkle through the scattered cloud cover had Naruto muster a low groan, as a good portion of his afternoon had just come and gone.

The old woman didn't help matters when he instinctively set her bags inside the threshold to her residence.

"No! No! Not there, gaki. In the kitchen!" the crone barked the second she saw the boy put the plastic bags down prematurely. "Sweet Sage. You want to make life even _more_ difficult for me?"

Exhaling deeply to stop himself from taking a verbal jab at the elderly woman, Naruto picked the bags up a second time and lugged them into the woman's kitchen. Upon carefully dumping the plastic sacks on the desk and making sure nothing was mashed up inside- since the last thing he wanted to do was go out and buy replacement items- the orphan then turned and waited for the elder's next set of instructions.

At this point, after being called out three times in a row, he wanted to make extra certain his services had been fulfilled.

When the old woman entered her dining area and peered across at the kitchen, she saw the attentive yet miserable look her young helper was giving her. This in turn earned a lazy-smile in return as she folded her hands across her stomach and nodded. "Thank you."

The words of gratitude, though spoken with slight amusement, earned a courteous head-nod from the orphan. "Can I go now, baachan?"

"Not just yet," the elder replied, at the same time raising a hand to signal Naruto to remain where he was. "I know what you youth are like these days- always expecting some kind of a reward for doing something or helping someone in need. Though yours is a spoiled generation, I do understand the need to appropriately compensate others for performing good deeds. Wait here a moment." Her piece said, the elderly female turned around and slowly shuffled her way to the back of the house.

After watching the woman disappear down the corridor, Naruto was left alone. Finding a bit of interest in his surroundings, the child began checking out the furniture and ornaments decorating the home. When his eyes fell upon a nearby closet set up against the dining area's far wall, he spotted a family portrait sitting atop it, consisting of a mother, father, and child, all of them well-dressed and looking incredibly happy together. The mother in particular was a young woman with bright red hair holding a hand fan, and wearing a white kimono with purple and pink flowers decorating it.

" _Hm. Must be the old lady when she was younger,"_ Naruto thought, tilting his head at the photo before then moving on to look at something else. In all honesty, she'd actually been quite pretty- with a cute face and her long hair tied into a high bun- but it was apparent those days were very far behind her.

Finding nothing else of interest hanging or sitting around his immediate area, the orphan then spared a moment of thought to the kind of treat the woman was getting for him. Personally, old people didn't like him very much. But from what he heard about them after listening to the other kids in his year level, whenever grandfathers and grandmothers gave gifts to their grandkids, it was one of three things: money, disgusting candy, or something old and boring. If he was to cast a die on what he was expecting to receive from this elder in return for helping her, it had to be one of the above.

Sure enough, when the old home-owner in the shawl returned about five minutes later, she shakily handed the patiently waiting child a book.

It wasn't just any book either.

This heavy block of what the blond assumed was some sort of encyclopedia, was a monster of a text, which was faded and worn in several places, and had tiny bits of water damage in the corners. On first glance, the green and moldy-paged item seemed just like any other reader that could be found in the local library. But while most books featured a spine and a title, this one instead came with a large scroll attached to the hinge- similar to those used by shinobi- and was being used to hold the pages together. Though this scroll-slash-tome combo looked impressive and practical, from Naruto's point of view it didn't seem like anything special.

Oh joy. More reading.

"What's this supposed to be?" Naruto asked as he looked over the front cover. It was entitled ' _Omni-dimensional Ninjutsu Implementation'_ , with a symbol underneath that resembled a whirlpool. Cool as far as book titles went, but no matter how you dressed it up, it was still a book.

And it seemed like a very, very difficult one.

The old woman scoffed while placing her hands on her hips. "Looking at you, I knew right away that you're not the kind of kid who is interested in books." Her observation had Naruto squint at her suspiciously. "You're more of a… hands-on, outdoorsy kind of brat, who learns better using his hands and being active, rather than sitting around a classroom all day listening to teachers drawl on about stories and theories. If I had to guess, I believe the only things floating around in that thick head of yours are fighting, fame, and friendship. Am I right?"

Naruto gawked at her for a moment, his brain quickly trying to work up some kind of a smart aleck response, and argue against what the elderly woman was saying. But after a minute of staring at her in silence, the child lowered his head and gulped nervously. "Y-Yeah. That's right."

His answer put a victorious smile on the female's wrinkled face. "I thought so." She then craned her head to the side, "Let me guess… you want to become a shinobi when you grow up?" When the boy nodded, she then gestured down to the heavy text sitting in his hands. "Well, this book has been in my family for over three generations… and has been stuck with me ever since I first moved into this village fifty years ago. Though most of my clansmen are long gone, all of the most useful skills ever taught to us back in our homeland can be found in _this_ journal."

Naruto blinked as she stared at the elder. "You were a… ninja?"

"Yes. But not from this village." A faraway look then came upon her as she turned her tired eyes towards one of the room's other walls. When Naruto followed her gaze, he spotted another photo of the same redheaded young female from the family portrait hanging nearby. This time the individual was dressed in a kunoichi uniform with long sleeves and grey plated armor- which certainly did not look like regular Konoha ninja attire. "I was from _Uzushiogakure_ (Village Hidden by Whirling Tides)… serving as 2nd Captain in the Uzukage's personal guard. Since our village had strong ties with the hidden leaf, when our country was wiped out by an unknown enemy, our people scattered, and I ended up here with some of the survivors."

Naruto blinked in surprise at the woman's brief story. "Wow. That's amazing, dattebayo."

"Hn." With a careless shrug, the former kunoichi looked back at the boy and beamed. "Anyway, that's all in the past. Now that my clan and the rest of my family are gone, I have no one else to pass my knowledge or inheritance too. When I die, most of what I own will be taken by the village to be auctioned off or stored away. Since that is the fate that awaits my legacy, I want to be able to at least hand on a few things before I go… hopefully to someone deserving." She then stepped towards the child and looked him right in his stunned eyes. "I'm hoping you could be that person."

A quick glance back down at the book in his grip then raised another important question from Naruto, who then turned to the old woman standing in front of him. "But… why me? I'm… I'm nobody… a person that no one in this village likes or cares about. Everyone I meet hates me… and treats me like dirt."

"Who you are viewed as and thought of by others doesn't matter one bit. It shouldn't," the old woman stated, lifting up one of her frail hands and ever-so gently placing it against the child's chest. The moment of contact had the blond look down. "What really matters is who you are in _here_ … and what you do in life that defines you." She then slowly removed her palm and steeled herself before the child. "If the world takes a stab at you… hits you to the point that you fall… and then keeps on kicking you while you're down… just get back up, stand your ground, and give it all back a hundredfold, dattebatte."

The words spoken by the woman struck Naruto with such force that had it been an actual physical blow, the boy would've been absolutely floored by it. A swell of hope built up inside his chest, filling his soul and making it seem like he was being lifted off the ground and pulled into the clouds. Even his cheeks warmed at the woman's sincerity, as they not only brought a newfound belief and confidence to him, but also wiped away all the negative emotions swirling about inside him.

For a moment, he almost completely forgot about the horrible day he'd been having.

Seeing that she got exactly what she wanted out of the youngster, the old woman chuckled and stepped away, yet kept her eyes glued to the luminescent child. "Whatever you do… just make it count. Okay, Naruto?"

"O-Okay," the blond replied, too overwhelmed by the woman's pep-talk to even ask how the heck she knew his name. "Thank you."

"Good. Now get," the woman said while nodding him out of her living room. "And don't ever forget what I told you today." She then watched through amused eyes as Naruto, after gathering up his senses, slowly turned and exited her kitchen, before leaving her house entirely a few seconds later. Once the door clicked shut behind her and silence once again perspired over the cozy domicile, the elderly female gave a small nod of approval. After which she then spared one last thought to her young guest as she shuffled her way into the kitchen to start cooking dinner. _"You really had an interesting one, Kushina-chan."_

OOO

(Later that night)

In hindsight, Naruto's evening hadn't been the most fun or enjoyable of the week. In fact it had been a bit of a drag, mixed in with a smidge of chaos, and topped off with a dash of manual labor. However, all negativity aside, it had definitely been the most interesting and uplifting of his afternoons- at least from what he could recall.

Following his little run-in with the old lady on the street and being shanghaied into her temporary service for the hour, instead of heading out to _Ichiraku's Ramen_ to sulk, the boy grabbed some instant ramen from the convenience store and went straight home. The reason being was so that he could check out the massive, weirdly named ancient book the woman had given him as a present.

Whether it was the boredom, the tediousness, the lack of better things to do, or the fact that his curiosity had been peaked significantly, Naruto did not know. But all the youngster knew that after his little pep talk with the grouchy lady, the child was unable to stop himself from plopping down on his couch and cracking open his gift.

What the orphan soon discovered soon afterwards was that as soon as he started reading, he just could not stop.

Inside the pages were multiple illustrations and pictures detailing taijutsu and ninjutsu techniques used by the clan the old woman came from, all of which were accompanied by small yet brief bodies of texts containing only the most necessary information- pros, cons, dangers, and advantages. What's more, all of the information was listed in an appropriate order, allowing whoever was reading the book to absorb the information and learn from it without issue- with no prior knowledge of ninjutsu required. Everything was covered from A to Z.

Based on the title alone, Naruto had initially assumed that the book would be long, pointless, and way beyond his knowledge and understanding. After all, he had no idea what _Omni-dimensional_ even meant… or what the heck it was. But as it turns out, the family who owned this book had recorded everything down in a way that even a complete novice or a child could understand the words being said, and also provided clear, concise instructions for self-practice and teaching.

In contrast to a lot of other books as well, this one was actually fun to read. The illustrations were vivid and clear, showing one or two people in action, going through the motions, and detailing the exact steps necessary in order to perform each essential technique right down to the last finger movement. This was done in a similar fashion to how the monks of old martial arts temples trained- using scrolls and written works with images in them to copy the actions physically, before then putting them to practice against dummies. It was all part of a self-moderating development process that allowed even lone individuals to train on their own terms. It also helped children from single or broken families to work on skills outside of school, without assistance, supervision, or tutelage from instructors.

In essence, what the old woman had ended up giving Naruto was a first-class introduction to her clan's unique shinobi arts- complete with lessons, notes, and time tables for training in order to incorporate everything that was recorded within the pages. The discovery had the blond practically jumping with joy, as for the first time ever he felt a doorway to the ninja world had just been opened for him. Even better it was with this gem of a codex that was now helping to light the highway. All he had to do was put the information from the first chapter of the book into practice.

" _In order to apply Uzushiogakure taijutsu effectively in combat, it is important that the users must first ready their bodies to prepare them for the techniques and skills that will be detailed in the following chapters. Thorough base and strength training is required from youth, as the stress of the martial arts can damage an inexperienced and untrained body. Below you will find a list of exercises that must be completed by the student over the spread of the next three months- which can also be done without the assistance of a peer or instructor,"_ Naruto read to himself, having moved his studying to his bedroom so that he could properly absorb the info being displayed before him. _"Be sure to check and record your results in the following boxes."_

As he read along, the child made mental notes to himself and set his alarm to wake him up at five. After all, he was going to try putting this stuff to the test the moment he woke up.

XXX

(Over the next three weeks)

It was as the saying went- _a word once given can never be broken_. Abiding by this core principle and the promise that he made on the very first night, Naruto got right down to trying out the training regimens outlined in the tome that the former kunoichi had given him. Following both the steps and illustrations delineating the processes in which he had to undergo this particular training, the child started a series of rigorous, body-strengthening exercises and sessions that would prepare him for the later stages to come.

His first couple of days were all spent getting a feel for the timetable in the book's first chapter and, on his initial run at it, things were great. The push-ups, sit-ups, squats, leg-exercises, hill sprints, urban gymnastics, and marathons through the village's local woodlands, along with the frequent stretching and taijutsu katas… he managed to do them all one after the other with very few problems.

Of course, there was that one moment when he tried to hurtle over a series of berry bushes by using a tree branch as a swing bar. After sprinting through the forest he'd chosen as his course via the dirt path forged through the undergrowth, he misjudged the distance and timing of one of his jumps. When he vaulted, he ended up missing the branch entirely and crashing into the bushes below.

When he landed in the thicket- which coincidentally was also filled with thorns- he not only impaled himself on a thousand prickers, but also managed to scare away a couple of birds napping in the brush. With only his feet and legs sticking up out of the rosy shrub, the winded and thoroughly stabbed child managed to muster only one word.

"Ow…"

He then had to complete his course while pulling over a dozen twiggy spikes out of his arms, hands and face.

Aside from that one hiccup, everything went pretty well for him. However, on the morning he woke up following his initial outing, mentally prepared to repeat the same session for his second day, the child's muscles were so sore and so tired that when he finally managed to drag himself out of bed to get dressed, he could barely push through the pain to put on his shirt.

However, being the stubborn, gutsy, and persistent child that he was, and not wanting to be beaten by some stupid numbers in a moldy old textbook, Naruto forced himself through sheer willpower to soldier on. Even when he face-planted the floor about twenty times trying to do his first set of pushups because his arms could no-longer support his bodyweight, the kid didn't care.

And so began perhaps one of the most physically painful and trying ordeals he would ever go through in his young life, which involved nothing but a lot of blood, sweat and tears- which mostly happened every time he crashed face-first into something. By the time the first week came and went, and Naruto had managed to pull through the first block, his body had finally managed to adjust to the new routine he was adopting, thereby setting himself on what he hoped was the path to a more holistic and productive way of living.

And hell, he hadn't even started getting into the really nitty-gritty stuff yet. According to the chapters in the tome he managed to glimpse past the first few, things were only going to get much, much harder for him, with even more tougher and physically involved sessions awaiting him at the end of the month.

Of course, with his interests and days occupied by a new hobby of sorts, woven seamlessly into his regular hours at school, the child couldn't help but wonder if there was any more to this book than he could see. If this was only an 'introduction' to a certain branch of the shinobi arts- as in a first volume- then there had to be even more after it, right? Though he hadn't managed to take a good look at the scroll yet due to the fact that it was locked by some kind of seal that prevented him from opening it, there was always a small chance that there were other volumes he had to read afterwards.

Following another uneventful day at the academy, in which Naruto had tried and ultimately failed to make friends with the kids again, the child decided to pass by the old lady's house on his way home. Even though everything was practically outlined for him in the book- as well as the fact that he still needed to finish off his scheduled training for the day- the blond felt that he could at least spare a few minutes speaking with the former kunoichi.

He also needed to thank her properly for giving him the journal in the first place. Since it was something he assumed had been a treasured heirloom passed down through her family, it simply begged the question as to why she would give it to a kid like him to begin with. That in itself deserved some proper gratitude and answers.

Who knows? Maybe if he was lucky she would invite him in for a talk. Kami knows that he was doing everything he could to get some sort of company. Having a former kunoichi as a friend might actually cure some of his isolation sickness.

Using his memory of the streets as well as recalling the path he'd taken from the fruit and vegetable store the first time around, Naruto eventually arrived at the front of the woman's one-story residence. However, the moment he turned the corner and walked up to the building, the young orphan unexpectedly found a Chunin standing outside with a clipboard in hand, and a team of young Genin moving furniture out of the house.

Stopping beside the spiky-haired man with the white bandage taped across his nose, the blond in the white shirt and orange shorts looked up at him and spoke. "Umm. Excuse me. What's going on here?"

Kotetsu, taking notice of the boy beside him, promptly nodded to the house that they were standing beside. "Oh. The council has hired us to move all of the furniture and possessions in this building over to temporary storage. We need to make room for a new tenant to move in."

Looking between the shinobi and the house, the door of which was hanging wide open, the confused Naruto looked back up at the Chunin inquisitively. "Is… Is the old lady who lives here still around? I'd like to speak with her if that's okay."

Turning back to the kid after checking off another item, Kotetsu stared at him quietly for a moment. A look of surprise then framed his gaze. "Wait… you mean you don't-" Upon looking at the child's innocent face, the man's expression suddenly saddened as he faced the child properly. "Haruka-san… the woman who used to live here with her family… she passed away in her sleep about four nights ago. She's gone, kid."

For Naruto, it felt like somebody had just run a spear through his gut. A look of shock crossing his face for the briefest of moments, the blond slowly turned to the old woman's building and, upon seeing another Genin walk out with a box of photographs and books, hung his head. His expression twisted into one of sorrow and gloom, which was accompanied by a strong, sickening sensation in his gut. The combination of feelings caused his cheeks to tighten and his eyes to well up, which in turn left him with in a state of clear dismay.

"So… that means…" Stiffening his jaw to stop the tears from forming, the youngster then looked up at the man and spoke in a firm, albeit shaky voice. "Has she… been buried yet?"

Kotetsu shook his head. "They'll be cremating her at the end of the week. You're welcome to go over to the Hokage Tower and ask to attend her funeral. As far as I know, only a couple of people will be going to it. She didn't have any family left in the village."

Nodding glumly, Naruto sheathed his hands into his pockets, took a deep breath, and turned around. "Thanks." He then proceeded to walk away, dragging his feet as his mind slowly processed the gravity of what he'd just learned.

Seeing the child start to leave, Kotetsu stared after him for a few moments, presumably in thought. When realization blinked through his eyes, the Chunin held his hand up and called out, "Hang on a second, kid. You… wouldn't happen to be Naruto by any chance?"

The blond stopped and looked back at the man. "Y-Yeah? Why?" He then watched the shinobi walk up to him, pull something out of his pocket, and hand it over to him. "What's this?"

"We found this letter sitting on her nightstand. Apparently it's addressed to you," Kotetsu informed, before giving the child a warm smile. "If I were you, I'd read it. Might be something important."

Considering the slip of folded paper now resting in his hands intently, a now noticeably cheered up Naruto motioned a grateful nod to the man. From there he then spun about and headed off, this time with a clear spring in his step.

He didn't return home directly though. Taking a slight detour from his normal route, the child went straight to one of the reserves in his neighborhood to complete his afternoon training block. Once he'd satisfyingly exercised himself to the point of exhaustion and collapse, Naruto then took the long road back to his third-story apartment to take a shower, change, and prepare himself a healthy dinner.

It was upon completing this segment of his daily routine that he finally managed to sit down and open up the letter that the old lady- Haruka- had given him. As he sat there on the couch in his partially tidy living room, the blond youngster tilted his head as his eyes took in the few words left to him by the grouchy old kunoichi he'd helped at the beginning of the month.

In short, the letter said this:

" _Gaki. The road to becoming a true ninja will be a long and difficult one, with many twists and turns you will not be expecting. If you want to live long enough to see your dreams come true- and if you don't want to end up dying like an idiot- remember these words carefully. One: don't underestimate anyone. Two: always expect the unexpected. Three: think before you act. Four: protect your friends and anyone close to you. And five: never stop being the good you. Trust me. It'll be worth it."_

It was as if he was hearing her voice inside his head. Even though Haruka's words were blunt and to the point, Naruto still managed to give a slight sniffle at the end, as these felt like the last words she would ever speak to him. After mulling them over a moment, his gaze trailed a little further down, where he saw another note had been left by her.

" _P.S – Don't worry. The time will come when you'll be able to open the scroll. Also, be careful when you get to the chapters halfway through the book. The last thing you want to do is transport yourself to the moon."_

" _Haruka U"_

Raising an eyebrow at the woman's warning, Naruto then set the letter down and looked around thoughtfully. When he then considered the tome she'd given him sitting on top of his lounge-room table, the child put on a smile, hopped off his couch, picked up his book, and ran back into his room.

Time for some serious studying.

XXX

(Half a year later)

As life around the village chugged forward with absolutely zero conflicts or upheavals to speak of, save for some political issues involving the Uchiha Clan's segregation from the rest of the leaf's business, Naruto's training continued to advance. It wasn't long after his first month of muscle-tearing physical workouts that he was now entering the chakra controlling phases of his development, which came immediately after he started learning the art of shinobi combat.

While at this time the instructors at the academy were beginning to teach the students from Naruto's grade the theoretical fundamentals of the shinobi arts- chakra techniques, combat, mannerisms and what not- the blond was already pushing forward into the application of the abovementioned techniques, and putting them to incredibly good use. Through the utilization of ink guidelines, meditation, and object balancing, Naruto learned how to feel and manipulate the chakra inside his body, and use it to enhance several of his preexisting capabilities.

This was pretty standard for children training to be a ninja to learn. But instead of stopping there, the ONI tome took it a few steps further.

The following chapters talked about focusing the chakra into the limbs of the body to multiply the strength and speed of the user to completely different levels, augmenting the user's physical prowess. In order to accomplish this, it also emphasized the need for the users themselves to exercise their bodies in order to apply the skills and keep up with the strain of performing such incredible feats. After all, a sheet of paper alone couldn't hold back a torrent of water. It needed to be cultivated, stacked with multiple layers, and lacquered over in various places to even have a hope in hell of stopping such a tide.

This information was something that Naruto found incredibly compelling and encouraged him to begin adding more stuff to his training in order to achieve this new goal. That meant lifting greater weights, running longer distances, and hitting the training stumps several times harder.

This then led into the next part of this phase of his training- _taijutsu_. While he'd initially touched on the subject during his strength and fitness training, the book was now starting to go into greater detail about it.

Naruto knew that the teachers at the academy set the students up with a basic understanding of the katas, stances and techniques practiced with the standard form of martial arts. It was the main one used by most of the militaries in the world and was something that all shinobi knew to an extent. They also gave the kids multiple lessons during school time to practice them, with some classes even being held personally by the Hokage. Furthermore, there were also advanced forms of taijutsu that were studied and used by the Hyuuga, the Uchiha, the Akimichi, and the Inuzuka, with the former clan said to possess the most lethal style practiced on the continent.

The taijutsu illustrated in Naruto's book however was of a completely different brand. Unlike the external _**Goken**_ (Strong Fist) form and the internal _**Juken**_ (Gentle Fist), this "new" style- aptly named _**Uzuken**_ (Vortex Fist) - incorporated the use of circular, spiraling movements in the martial arts, with key emphasis on acrobatics and angular blows.

The style itself is described as one that didn't rely on brute strength, but rather on agility and outsmarting the opponent instead. The power of the style derived from its aggressive speed and movement, focusing on spinning elbows, knees, kicks, and leopard punches. It was a hit, damage, and run style designed to overwhelm superior forces with limited resources, with counter attacks being sudden, indirect, and short, and the aim of landing debilitating damage. The goals for learning this taijutsu included: developing muscle speed for external strength, patience and razor sharp timing, and attacks for precision, penetration, and cutting power.

It also had another interesting feature that the other styles did not have.

OOO

Standing out in the middle of an open meadow- one of many that dotted _Konohagakure's_ unique and beautiful landscape- the young Naruto, wearing only a pair of orange shorts and sandals, could be found performing a series of katas and manouvers across the open area. Like a man dancing on the wind, the young boy moved and leapt over the grass, unleashing a series of strikes and blows in a graceful and controlled display of skill.

Performing a swing hand and hammer fist combo, the child stepped back into a low stance, his fists curled into those of the leopard hand form. Breathing heavily as sweat trickled down his face and body, Naruto then threw himself into a backflip, landed softly, and performed a reverse step and push palm- thrusting both arms out in a deflecting motion. He then moved forward and performed a textbook outside slap kick, managing to swing his foot at a height above his own head, before dashing forward with multiple wide strides. Picking up speed, the young Naruto threw himself through the air and performed a butterfly kick. When he landed, he threw another one, and then a third one.

His last kick was accompanied by a blast of dust kicking up off the floor, forming a trail through the air that followed the motion of his kicking leg. The impressive arcs his attacks traveled matched the ferocity on which Naruto unleashed the blows. Upon touching down, he then slid back into a dragon posture before adopting a tiger stance, thrusting both clawed hands upwards and lifting his left knee. After the defensive maneuver, he then followed up with a whip kick and a heel kick, each blow swinging out in rapid succession, and sending a blast of air shooting across the field.

Upon which the child curled up: dropping into a wide and low crouching stance, at the same time positioning his hands beside him over one another. Inhaling deeply, Naruto then finished his combo with a forward double palm thrust, which he performed while rotating his arms at high speed.

What followed next was what many would call remarkable.

" _ **Uzuken: Tetsu Senpu!"**_ (Vortex Fist: Iron Whirlwind) Naruto shouted, the circular motion of his hands causing a blast of rotating wind to rip across the field.

The spiraling attack of pressurized air shot towards a distant tree standing about a hundred yards from Naruto's position, kicking up leaves and dust as it traveled across the meadow like a bullet. When it eventually struck the large oak standing at the edge of the grove, the wind didn't just rush past the trunk… it tore straight through it. As if a series of invisible, monofilament blades had been launched from the boy's fingertips, the attack managed to cut the tree so fast that for about six whole seconds, the oak remained standing.

When those seconds passed, the trunk and the branches cascaded to the ground into literal pieces; the attack having sliced the entire edifice in an outward moving ripple pattern.

In a single stroke, Naruto had transformed a once glorious tree into nothing but a pile of firewood.

Inhaling once more as his arms remained extended, Naruto then stepped out of his attack stance and brought his hands down in front of him. This slow, graceful movement of his arms reverting to an at-rest position signified the end of his round, which then allowed him to move off the field and collect a drink from the bottle of water he had sitting nearby.

Upon popping open the cap and taking a big gulp, the boy gasped in relief before turning to glare at the tree he'd so handily diced up.

" _Not enough. It has to be faster… stronger! I have to keep going!"_

Shutting the bottle and dumping it on the ground, the blond orphan flexed his arms and flicked his wrists. Once he'd rid them of the numbness that'd resulted from his successful execution of his attack, Naruto then moved on to his third round, and reset his stance.

OOO

Aside from the remarkable taijutsu he was slowly learning, he also started to learn the unusual ninjutsu recorded in the ONI tome as well.

Getting the basics of the hand seals wasn't a problem at all. After working on the flexibility in his fingers and copying the illustrations from the charts in the academy's library, figuring out the names and differences between each individual sign, opened the way for him to begin conquering the numerous jutsu there was to learn out there in the world… at least that's what he hoped. However, for the sake of consistency, Naruto first chose to focus his efforts on learning the techniques from his journal.

It was after moving past the first taijutsu and chakra portion of the book, and accessing the next section that the child happened upon another unexpected twist. Instead of the _**Bunshin no Jutsu**_ (Clone Technique), _**Henge no Jutsu**_ (Transformation Technique), or some other common skills that other shinobi would customarily use and start training with, the ones detailed in this work involved strange ink and seal patterns, arranged into various clusters, spirals, circles, squares and many other shapes.

At first Naruto was taken back by the opening set of illustrations. But after studying the opening paragraphs of the new section and learning the meaning of the drawings, the young shinobi-in-training quickly realized that this wasn't ninjutsu at all. It was _**fuinjutsu**_ (Sealing Techniques).

This quickly had the child backtrack on what he'd been covering so far and, in studying the last couple of chapters, he realized that all of these sections were linked together. The whirlpool themes, the fighting styles, and the way he was mastering control over his chakra, were all setting him up and preparing him to learn how to use these seals, and apply them in combat.

Knowing that this was an area that he'd never even considered before and was something that was rarely touched on at the academy, Naruto's interest in the future chapters of this book were quickly elevated to new heights. His young mind was almost immediately flooded with inspiration and enthusiasm, as he couldn't help but imagine the many unique possibilities this foreign area of shinobi practice held for him.

Skimming through the pages ahead of the introductory segments of the journal, Naruto noticed that there were seals and patterns similar to the kanji that he knew from reading, which allowed the youngster to immediately make some connections between what he already knew and what was being presented to him. Unfortunately, after glimpsing further ahead towards the end of the book, the seals and techniques that started to emerge in the subsequent pages were completely different to any symbols or lettering he recognized. Heck, he could barely tell what many of them were supposed to mean.

So, instead of jumping ahead and trying to learn the complicated ones right away, Naruto aimed to decipher them little by little through reading the book's preparatory chapters, and slowly make his way up. After all, there was no telling what these seals were supposed to be used for.

Just like in school, to gain a better understanding of what he was doing, Naruto started out small. As instructed in the practice pages, the blond began his tutelage by using ink to paint seals on surfaces, through which he would then run his chakra through. This formed the basis for the training in fuinjutsu to follow, allowing him to give shape and form to the seals using his own energy, and not have to paint them out every time he needed to perform a technique.

The very first move he ended up practicing was sealing a small bag of salt inside of a wooden plank, before eventually releasing it from its pocket dimension and materializing it back to the same spot he had placed it.

From there the lessons progressed at a reasonable pace. Naruto gradually learned how to seal and summon larger objects one after the other. He started with one at a time, then two at once, and then later different objects simultaneously on separate sealing circles. It even got to one very difficult segment where he had to try and trap moving targets, either on the ground or in mid-flight. He spent an entire month trying to get this right, even taking time out of his combat training to try and catch a rock that he launched from an automatic catapult, and locking it inside a scroll of paper.

Though he managed to get it in the end after over a hundred tries, the technique was still a pain in the ass to master.

From his point of view, his work outs were coming along nicely. Hell, he was even managing to learn field material ahead of the other kids at the academy, which in turn inspired him to take a closer look at the other abilities they were planning on learning in future year levels, including the _Henge_ , the _Kawarimi_ , and the _Bunshin no Jutsu_. He was going to need those for the exams.

However, amongst all of this- between his eight hour total training regiments, his long periods spent wasting away in the academy classroom, and taking care of his affairs at his assigned independent home program apartment- Naruto never stopped trying his damndest to make friends. For all his accomplishments thus far, for all the hours he spent grinding, strengthening his mind and body, and transforming himself into a better person, the one thing he still struggled to achieve was forming a bond with a group of kids his age.

At this point he would even take one. Just _one_ person to become his friend, who he could swap stories, share ideas, and spend time with in the afternoons when he didn't have anything else to do. He just really wanted to have that dark spot in his life filled and for once in his life be acknowledged for being him, without that cold, hateful ire he constantly saw on the faces of everybody else around him.

It was this one particular aspect of his still young existence he wanted to change most of all- to be accepted and recognized by another person. Hell, it didn't even have to be someone from the village or even a human villager for that matter. But as things currently stood, finding friends and companions amongst the tens of hundreds of individuals he met and passed by on the street, was not going to be an easy task.

Like Haruka said, he just had to keep marching on… and hope for the best.

XXX

(A month later)

On one particularly cool night of the year, during a time when the village was at its most peaceful and quiet, Naruto had laid himself down for a good night of rest. After a long day of hard training, mediocre schooling, and chakra burning fuinjutsu practice, the young shinobi-in-training knew he was deserving of a few winks. With the weather being so pleasant this long after dusk, there was no way he was going to pass on the opportunity to enjoy a decent rest.

His thoughts on what awaited him after closing his eyes all revolved around a world of soft dreams and white clouds, upon which he would be able to experience the most delightful of slumbers. Being the hardworking and energetic kid that he was, it would come as a surprise to anyone to learn that Naruto actually had the innate ability to fall asleep on command. It certainly served as a big advantage for him during his bloated and incredibly busy schedule.

When his eyes closed and his consciousness faded from the light, the child willingly slipped away, and fell gracefully into the sweet, soothing arms of Morpheus.

Things seemed to settle down after that. But then, the moment Naruto's physical body closed down all motor functions and set itself for the extended haul, his eyes suddenly opened again- this time to an entirely new and unknown sensation.

Actually, it wasn't so much an unknown sensation as it was a surprising one. The reason Naruto's eyes opened up almost immediately after closing them, was because he felt something like a sheet of water pressing up against his face.

Blinking away the haze of sleep, the child slowly pushed himself up from the floor and looked around, discovering to his surprise that he was no longer lying in his own bed. Rather, he was actually lying in what could only be described as an enormous sewer tunnel, with the concrete walls reaching well over a hundred meters. It was also illuminated by a dim light, the source of which he was unable to identify. Looking down at where he was sitting and expecting to find muddy water surrounding him, he instead saw that the water was clear and deep, and that he was in fact sitting on top of it like it was a solid surface. This baffled him to no end, as his understanding of water was that because it was a liquid, anything placed on top of it would inevitably end up sinking.

Shaking his head at the strangeness of it all, the child stood up, regained his balance, and began venturing down the large sewer to find out exactly where he was.

It was only after a couple minutes of walking that he suddenly came across a wall of metal bars, which appeared out of the darkness. Standing before before him like a glorified monolith, the child's eyes trailed up the steel pillars, his gaze reflecting a sense of wonder and amazement at the sheer size of the barrier blocking his route. It was only after inspecting them a little more closely that he saw the bars were actually part of a large gate, which was locked shut and kept closed by what appeared to be a large slip of paper with a seal on it.

Curious as to what the design of the marking actually was, since he was now studying them as part of his training, the boy moved in to take a closer look. Immediately upon coming within arm's reach of the print, he saw that the formation was that of an eight point suppression seal with a chakra lock in the center, which could be loosened or tightened by the user. The structure of the seal was understandably elaborate- way too advanced for someone of his level to access or create. However, Naruto could still hazard a guess as to what its purpose was.

This seal was meant to keep someone or something _in_.

But what?

Tilting his head, the boy then attempted to glimpse beyond the threshold of the gate, his eyes squinting through the darkness of the chamber to see if anything was inside. It was only after doing so that he became aware of an enormous mass sitting behind the large barrier, and filling up the entire height and width of the tunnel. When Naruto tried to identify the shifting mass of blackness, he then jumped back with a start when he saw a pair of monstrous red eyes suddenly open just a few feet rom the bars and fix squarely on him.

The blond almost fell over with how quickly he retreated.

A few seconds after the eyes appeared, a deep, low voice suddenly spoke, which reverberated throughout the entire tunnel. _**"Hmm… well isn't this a pleasant surprise? My caretaker has decided to come pay me a visit."**_

At first Naruto was caught completely off guard by the appearance of the eyes and the booming voice. But after taking a moment to breathe, the child then chanced a few tentative steps forward, as his curiosity in the the titanic creature started to grow. When he ventured closer to the bars and saw the light in the chamber brighten on the other side, he then saw for himself the beast that was resting safely and secured behind the metal.

Its body assumed in a prone position and its head lying comfortably on its arms, Naruto saw the unmistakable form of a giant orange fox slowly emerge from the shadows. As intimidating as it was big, the giant creature had black sclera around its eyes- the markings of which stretched all the way up its long ears- a mouth filled with sharp teeth capable of crushing rock, and claws the size of tree trunks protruding from its digits. Unlike its smaller canine counterparts, this beast didn't have paws but human-like hands, and instead of one tail, it had nine of them- each one capable of felling an entire forest with a single swipe.

To describe this kitsune as big was nothing short of an understatement. This creature was absolutely gigantic, with a body that effortlessly towered over several city blocks or a small mountain. Even the Hokage Monument, were it a conscious, thinking entity, would quiver at the sight of this beast standing on the horizon.

Naruto was so overwhelmed by the sight and appearance of the fox that he scarcely registered to the fact that it'd started speaking again. Oh yeah, and it could talk.

" _ **I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to appear to me so soon. After all, you're still just a pup, with barely five to six winters resting behind you,"**_ the titan of a kitsune remarked, his voice clearly dripping with amusement as he gazed down at the child gaping up at him. _**"So tell me, boy… what inner compulsion has shepherded your pitiful soul into my domain tonight? What useful insight or knowledge do you wish to gain from the aura of my presence?"**_

At first Naruto said nothing. He just stood there staring at the massive beast that was staring back at him from the apex of his forearm. When a full two minutes passed and the blond didn't say anything, the giant fox's smile vanished. Its movements being slow and lumbering, the colossal animal sat up into a more comfortable position, upon which he then glared down at the child with an annoyed glint in his glowing red eyes.

When the child failed to answer, the kitsune- figuring he didn't understand him, exhaled in annoyance. _**"Well? Speak up, brat. What the hell do you want?"**_

About a few seconds after the giant fox had asked his irate question, the previously silent Naruto blinked a couple more times, raised his hand, gave a nervous smile, and waved meekly. "Hello."

The fox, appearing taken aback, replied in kind. _**"H-Hello?"**_

Naruto then lowered his hand and continued in a soft voice… one more receptive than what he normally used. "Umm… if it isn't too much trouble, could you tell me where I am, please? Sorry. I've had a lot of crazy dreams before, but I don't remember ever coming to a place like this. Is this some kind of cave or…?"

The boy's question had the kitsune's jaw drop a little. _**"A-Are you serious? You're telling me you don't know where you are right now?"**_

A nod was Naruto's immediate response. "I remember falling asleep and waking up here. Am I still in bed? Is this a nightmare?"

Eyes narrowing, the fox growled. _**"No."**_

After hearing this answer, the blond haired child then looked over the giant gates in front of him once again. Deducing that it was this barrier keeping the fox at bay, Naruto then broached his next curious question, "Why are you locked away down here anyway? Did you do something bad?" He then shrugged. "I know whenever I get into trouble, the teacher always sends me to the office to think about what I did. Even when I didn't do anything, I always end up getting blamed for something... especially by this teacher named Suzume." He then glanced around the place he was standing in once more, his expression reflecting intrigue and interest. "It's funny… even though I'm sure I've never been to this place, it still feels very familiar to me…"

Rolling his eyes, the giant fox then gave a low and frustrated growl. _**"You really are as dense as you look. We're**_ _inside_ _ **you."**_ His statement had Naruto look back up at him in surprise. _**"In a place where our minds and souls manifested in physical form can meet- a pocket dimension inside your body that's been moulded into the perfect prison."**_ Not wanting to beat around the bush for too long, the fox decided to cut to the heart of his explanation. _**"For the past five to six years, I've been trapped inside of this wretched chamber, awaiting the day that I will finally be free to ravage the land once more. I am the Kyuubi no** **Yoko** _(Nine-Tailed Demon Fox)… _ **and you are my jinchuriki."**_

A stunned look then appeared on Naruto's face, his eyes widening slowly in horror at the revelation of who exactly he was speaking to. Feeling as though his words had finally resonated with the child, the giant fox allowed a small grin to tug at his lips, as he knew that with the shock of this revelation, he'd be able to capitalize on the child's moment of weakness by manipulating his grief and anger in his favor. Through this he aimed to take control of him and, in turn, use the child's body as a vessel to go on a rampage across the village.

He was just seconds away from making all of that happen. Just seconds away from being able to accomplish something.

But then, just when it looked like Naruto was going to lose it, the boy shut his mouth and gave the kitsune another confused look. "Uhh… what's a jinchuriki?" He'd learned a few different, complicated words before and had heard about the giant demon fox known as the Kyuubi- the very creature that'd terrorized his village all those years ago. But he hadn't heard that one before.

His question had the Kyuubi groan and bang his head against the gate, causing a loud clang to echo down the tunnel. _**"Oh, Kami, I can't believe this."**_ He then opened his eyes and glared down at the child, a little bit more angrily this time. _**"A jinchuriki is a… huh?"**_ The fox stopped abruptly when he realized his young guest was no longer standing in front of him. Rather, he saw that the blond youngster had snuck in through the gap in the bars and was now walking right up to him. When the fox noticed this, he lurched away. _**"Hey! What are you doing?"**_

Not at all put off by the kitsune's shouting, the six year old child casually walked up to the enormous animal. When it tried to lean out of reach, the giant fox ended up bumping into the back corner of its chamber with a loud thud. Realizing he couldn't retreat any further due to the confines of its cell, the Kyuubi growled and took a swat at the child with one of its nine enormous tails, only to watch his appendage bounce off of the boy when a golden shell of light surrounded him, and deflected his attack.

" _Agh! That stupid seal!"_ He couldn't even hurt the boy, even if he really wanted to. Though all he did was try to smack him away with a light bat of his appendage, thanks to the fuinjutsu binding him to the child, the yokai just couldn't touch him.

Paying no heed to the demon's obvious aggression and attempts to keep him away, the intrigued Naruto slowly closed in on the giant fox and stopped by its forward paw. Ignoring the demon's growls and the fact that he was bearing his teeth at him, the blond reached up and gave its fur a gentle pet- like he was greeting a small cat or a dog on the street. The act of doing so fascinated the youngster, whose expression conveyed a great interest in the scenario and the enormous yokai he was now talking with.

"Wow… this is so cool." After a moment of scratching the giant fox's leg and feeling its powerful muscles twitch, Naruto stepped back and once again looked up at the demon, who seemed a little bit unnerved at how unafraid the boy was in his presence. Heck, even the mightiest and most powerful shinobi in history had been wary of his strength, and took extra measures to ensure he was kept under a strong leash.

Maybe it was because the kid was still so young and didn't fully understand what was going on that he was acting so brave.

Eventually, after another minute of staring at the colossal animal and seeing its snarl, Naruto broke out one of the warmest and sincerest smiles he could muster. Upon which he then clenched his fists and steeled his resolve. "You know… you may be big and scary looking, but I like you a lot. Do you think you and I could be friends?"

Jaw dropping a little more in disbelief, the enormous nine-tailed demon gave a frustrated growl and snapped down at the kid- dropping his head low enough that his snout was practically right in front of the child. _**"Ha! You're nothing but a pathetic human child. Why do you think I'd want to be friends with you?!"**_

Naruto shrugged and rubbed his arm. "I… don't really have any friends. Every time I try to make some, the kids just run away from me." He then looked the giant fox in the eye to see his anger falter slightly and his expression change. "And you seem pretty lonely in here… locked up in this tunnel. I figured that since we both don't have anyone to talk to, you and I could hang out with each other."

After gawking at the youngster for a long, silent moment, the previously startled Kyuubi then frowned. With a low grumble leaving his throat at the senselessness of all this, the fox stood up, turned around, and lay down, giving the waiting Naruto what many would call the 'peace out' canine gesture.

" _ **Get lost, brat."**_

Since the giant beast didn't have anywhere to go and because he didn't have anything better to do in his not-really-a-dream, the still determined Naruto smiled and ran up to the demon's back. The moment he reached the cliff that was the fox's side, he grabbed hold of the fur and clambered up the enormous animal like he was a mountain. Once he arrived at the peak of the demon's prone form, where the kitsune's spine had curved into a hunch, the child then lay down on top of the yokai and grinned at where his head was lying.

Even though his eyes were closed, the Kyuubi was still quite obviously awake and aware of his presence.

"Hey, hey. What's your name?" Naruto asked as he lay there on the giant's back, smiling down at the grouchy old animal. "My name is Naruto."

" _ **And I don't care,"**_ the giant, malevolent creature replied with an irritable grunt. _**"Go away."**_

"Aww, come on. Don't be like that, dattebayo," Naruto chirped in a friendly and cheerful tone typical of his character. With his feet kicking about in the air behind him, the completely at-ease youngster continued to press the fox, hoping for a response. Obviously the beast couldn't hurt him in this world- whatever it was, so even if the animal got angry at him, there wasn't really anything he could do about it. So the orphan persisted. "I bet you've got a really awesome name. Come on. You can tell me it."

" _ **No."**_

"Plee~ease. I promise I won't tell anyone."

" _ **No. Get lost."**_

"Alright. How about this? You can just tell me the first kanji. I'll try and guess what it is."

" _ **No."**_

"Come on. It'll be fun, dattebayo."

" _ **No."**_

"Hey. Be nice. I really don't want to have to call you Kyuubi (Nine-Tails) all the time. I mean, that can't be your real name. It'll almost be like… calling me Whiskers because I have these marks on my cheeks or Blondie because my hair is yellow," Naruto said, using the most basic of logic to try and get a response from the kitsune. From the way the fox's expression tightened up, it was clear he couldn't argue against the blond. "Unless you want me to call you furball instead?"

" _ **If you ever call me that for real, I will eat you,"**_ the demon growled agitatedly.

"Ha. No you won't," Naruto laughed.

As the blond continued to pester the giant fox who, for the next couple of hours continued to lie there and take, Naruto made a mental reminder to himself to find out more about this situation when he woke up. Obviously this giant fox told him that he was sealed inside of his body. That much was clear. But as troublesome as the whole thing seemed, the blond wanted to learn more about this and why exactly he had the demon stuck inside his stomach to begin with. Out of professional curiosity of course.

Irregardless of the reasons, Naruto wasn't upset at all. Sure, it explained a lot about why a lot of people were afraid of him and pushed him away. All in all, the blond was just happy to finally have someone to talk to and play with, even if it was a giant, talking, grumpy old fox the size of a mountain that didn't want him there. Call it glass half-full, more or less.

Naruto will win him over. He was sure.

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_


	2. Otsutsuki Arc - Land of Demons

**Author's Note:** The next chapter of Naruto: ONI. Naruto's training is progressing well and in here you will find a few surprises.

I took a bit of inspiration from a few other shows and games that's come out recently, but wrote it in a way that it fits perfectly in with the Naruto lore. With how little we know about Uzushiogakure Fuinjutsu, this has allowed me to have a lot of fun with writing the skills Naruto is gradually acquiring.

Hope you all like this chapter, with anticipation for the next one.

* * *

 **Naruto**

 _ **ONI**_

 _Land of Demons_

(Flash Forward)

 _Fire, brimstone, and chaos- that was the best way to describe the world that currently surrounded the two children who were sitting on top of the rocky plateau. Of all the places they could've ended up… of all the worlds they could've been transported to… they somehow managed to wind up smack bang in the middle of hell._

 _The scenery pretty much spoke for itself._

 _Staring out across the barren, desolate landscape that was effectively the ground that they were positioned on, the young pair held onto the hill's peak for dear life, as not only was the countryside literally falling apart around them- complete with mountains and slabs of valley being lifted up into the sky everywhere they looked- but the planet itself was set on a clear collision course for the Earth's sun._

 _This much was made evident by the air's drastically rising temperature, the crumbling geography being dragged into the thermosphere by a powerful gravitational force, and the fact that they could also see the surface of the star burning brightly in front of them, and drawing closer and closer by the second._

 _It was a miracle that their faces and bodies hadn't been melted at this point. Thanks to the planet's dense atmosphere and the chakra barrier that'd been erected around them, the pair were kept in a state of temporary safety, and were able to survive being subjected to the raging inferno engulfing the celestial body._

 _Glancing beside her, the blonde haired girl kneeling on the ground got a good look at the boy who was accompanying her- a young man with blond spiky hair, whiskers on his cheeks, wearing an orange and blue hooded vest, and green shorts. With his right arm also noticeably burnt and singed in several places, the youngster had taken her hand firmly in his and was holding it down, making sure that they both didn't get lifted up into the clouds and sucked into the sun with the rest of the debris._

 _As valiant as his efforts were however, it soon became apparent that his attempts at keeping them anchored to the hill weren't going to be enough to save them._

 _Eyes widening when he saw another shockwave detonate on the stretch of crumbling land ahead of them, sending an enormous cloud of rubble blasting towards them, the whiskered-blond reacted in alarm. "Hold on!" he shouted, their surroundings being pelted by island-sized chunks of the planet- decimating the hill around them and causing the fractured edifice to involuntarily get sucked into the sky._

 _The blonde girl gave a shriek of terror and wrapped her arms around her companion when their bodies and shield were pulled straight into the stratosphere, as if all weight had suddenly left them. At this point, the crashing world had reached the limit of maintaining its shape under the gravitational forces ripping into it and, after several minutes of having orbited its solar host, was now reaching the final stages of its collapse into the star._

 _As chunks of the planet burned up and disintegrated upon the surface of the solar body, the two children flew towards it inside their golden shield- completely sure that they were going to die._

 _However, when the two blondes looked up through the haze of their protective barrier, they saw yet another large explosion rip a chunk of a still intact part of the planet to shreds, before a golden and purple light streaked through the sky towards the sun. The sight of it awed and stunned the two airborne children, as they not only heard the deafening roar of the energy blasting forth from the projectile, but also the battle cries of the two people the trailing light was attached to._

 _Looking towards the head of the glowing bi-colored comet, the youngsters saw a woman with blonde hair and a fair complexion, and a man with hair and skin as white as a ghost, clutching the muscular arms of a tall, hulking demon with four golden Byakugan eyes and a single Rinne-Sharingan on his forehead, and a massive crescent-shaped horn sticking out of his skull. While all three of them were battle-damaged to the point of being unable to move and clad in shredded clothing that'd disintegrated over the entire course of their fight, the two individuals just yelled out at the top of their lungs as they pushed the demon they were grappling into the cascading asteroid field- on a clear path leading to certain death._

 _The red demon himself, having been bludgeoned and burnt to the point that his own body had started to crumble into ash, roared angrily as he attempted to break out of the pair's hold. But try as he might, the man-woman duo would not let him budge, as they both proceeded to drag him into the gravity well of the orange celestial body._

" _NOOOOOO! I WILL NOT GO OUT LIKE THIS! YOU HEAR ME?! I WOOOOOOOON'T!" the fiend bellowed in a deep and obviously desperate voice, shaking his head in defiance as he felt his skin start to catch fire from the heat engulfing him. Seconds later, as the trio grew closer to their final destination, the oni was unable to stop the scream of agony from leaving his throat, as his entire being was literally set alight and transformed into a raging fireball._

 _The two smaller humanoids holding him however didn't care- instead powering up even more and allowing their auras to flare brightly, rocketing them even faster through the vacuum._

 _The sight of the three warriors diving towards the inferno had the blonde girl clutching hold of the whiskered-child cry out. "KAA-SAAAAAAN!"_

 _Above the roar of her fearsome glow, the thunderclaps of crashing asteroids, and the cries of their opponent, the woman holding onto the demon's left arm looked over her shoulder. When she saw the two children floating far in the distance and heading towards the sun as well, the glowing female with the purple kaleidoscope eyes gave a small, warm smile through her bruised face, before holding her hand out towards the pair._

" _Naruto-kun… Shion-chan… FLY!"_

 _All of a sudden, a dimensional rip opened up in front of the two blonde children, who then curled up as they fell straight into it. As they plummeted into the wormhole that opened over a small lake, the blonde girl in the kimono dress felt tears fly free from her eyes, as she reached out with her hand to try and grasp the two adults flying with their quarry into the distance._

 _They were too far away however, and all the girl ended up doing was clutching at thin air._

" _KAAAAAA-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" was the child's final desperate cry, before a blinding light suddenly swallowed her up and the world around her vanished._

XXX

(Six years after Kyuubi attack)

(Present)

Lying in an enormous bed chamber with temple-like features and designs decorating the surrounding fixtures and surfaces, a young, blonde haired girl around six years old- the same child who appeared in the vision- awoke from her slumber with a jerk and a gasp. As soon as she did, she revealed a pair of bright purple irises with strange geometric markings spinning around her pupils, both of which were glowing with a strong, piercing light that shone through the darkness of her room.

As the lights of her gaze lit up her chamber, accompanied by the gentle chime of the bell lying on the pillow beside her, the girl- identified from the dream as Shion- lay there with a stunned look on her face and sweat dripping down her forehead, as she saw the vision she'd been experiencing play out right in front of her.

Tensing beneath the sheets of her bedspread, the young girl witnessed a great many events taking place all at once- which zipped in front of her eyes like a strobe of images flipping by one after the other. Through her eyes, Shion saw herself standing on a strange dark world with a red sun hanging high in the sky- on a planet that was clearly not their own. There, she watched as the land become decimated by battle and engulfed in flames- the sky filling with countless flickering lights, and the planet itself crack and split under the weight of multiple otherworldly forces colliding at once. Through the destruction and desolation, she also witnessed two individuals- one she knew and one she didn't know- battle together against a terrifying, demonic force with multiple kekkei genkai, horns, red skin, and adorned in ornate white robes. They were the ones chiefly responsible for the destruction being wrought to the alien world.

And above it all, the girl also noticed a young boy around her age, with spiky blond hair and whiskers on his cheeks, protecting and shielding her from all the chaos going on around them. In those fleeting instances, she saw him smile, saw him scream, saw him fight, and saw the two of them falling together as the vision reached its inevitable climax.

" _What… what is this?"_ Shion thought, watching the vision play out several more times, showing her the epic battle, and the deaths of the three individuals as they dove right into the sun.

When the glimmer in her eyes faded and her foresight vanished moments later, the blonde child remained where she was, unable to move or speak as she clenched the pillows of her bed tightly with her fingers. The images had been so clear and so profound that the girl couldn't find the strength to move, the shock remaining plastered over her face as her mind slowly processed what she'd just witnessed.

Whatever future Shion had just viewed and the people within them, not only did it encompass the entire world that they were on, but also involved _her_. In replaying the vision in her memory, a tear was brought to the corner of the girl's eye, which then slipped down her cheek as she recalled the smiling face of the woman that'd been in it and the end that'd come for her. Though everything in the vision seemed completely impossible, the blonde knew well who the person was, and how much they meant to her.

After all, she was sleeping in the room just across from her.

"Kaa-san…" Shion whispered, as the tear that ran down her cheek hit the pillow and faded into the fabric.

Why was she there? Why were any of them there? Who was that giant red demon with five golden eyes? Who was the blond haired boy with whiskers on his cheeks? So many questions, yet so few answers.

They were what stuck with her as she lay there staring across at her bedroom wall, and continued to haunt her thoughts as she once again drifted into an uneasy sleep.

XXX

(The next day)

(Konohagakure)

Over in the hidden leaf's shinobi academy, out on the courts where the students had sports and training with each other, the first graders under the Chunin Daikoku Funeno were currently out having a lesson. Having gathered all the students behind the white boundary lines on the edge of the yard, the beefy instructor with the goatee and wearing the standard Konoha uniform and a blue bandana, stood before his group of intently listening youngsters and gave them all a big smile.

"Alright. Today you guys are going to be doing a little bit of taijutsu practice- putting all of the skills and techniques you've been learning over the last year to a more practical manner," the man stated, at the same time stepping to the side a bit. "So far you've done drills on offensive and defensive kata in the dojo room, and read about the various movements from your instruction manuals and activity books. I'm sure many of you have also been doing plenty of studying at home and in your free time, so this'll be a good opportunity to see where all of you are currently at."

At this point, one of the children at the front of the group- a blonde haired girl wearing a white jumper with a zip and purple shorts- spoke up. "How are we going to be practicing today, sensei?"

The man grinned and then gestured across the court, where the children saw several straw dummies had been lined up in rows, with another spacing apart between them for groups of people to move through them with ease. "Each of you will spend the next hour practicing on a 'partner'. Once you've all selected a dummy from the lineup, I want you guys to give me a good two-minute set of hitting and striking your assigned target, with thirty push-ups between each round followed by a one minute break. Afterwards, once we've gotten some sufficient practice and exercise in, I'll call on a couple of volunteers to demonstrate some of their moves in front of the class." When he heard the excited clamor start up the man chuckled. "I can see we're all eager to get started. Very well… let's get to it!"

With a hearty clap, the man allowed his class to break up and move across the quad to pick a dummy. Once they had, Daikoku then got them started, watching and listening as the kids began attacking their targets with gusto. The sounds of shouting and thumping filled the air, as the youngsters made quite a display of their individual performances.

While most of them seemed like they were doing well, this was only because of the aggression they were displaying in their sets. Being children in a class filled with prospective stars and future ninja, each of them wanted to show off their skills to their friends and their teacher. Most of them shouted loud and proud, while also laying into their dummies with reckless abandon. As passionate as these kids were- with them being mostly boys- they quickly found out that hitting a target hard and continuously did not end well, as evident by the start of the second round when all of those go-getters started stopping mid-round to rub their sore knuckles and shins. Upon observing this, an amused Daikoku remarked to the class during their second break.

"Remember, kids- just because you can hit hard doesn't mean you can do it for all twelve rounds. Striking as hard as you can doesn't always get the best results. In fact, you're likely to do more harm to yourselves than good. And I'm not just talking about bruised knuckles," the Chunin informed, seeing some of the kids already on their knees and panting from the push-ups. "Your opponent may be faster than you- so they'll avoid your blows and attack you from the side. Your opponent may have better reflexes- so they'll counter you while you're punching and take you out with a single shot. Or your opponent may have a good defense- so they'll use that and completely destroy your attack, before finishing you off with one of their own. These are very important things you have to remember when using taijutsu, so be sure to fight smart, find openings, and pace yourselves."

By the time the third round started, most of the kids who were nursing bruised hands and feet quickly took this to heart, and went about adjusting their approaches. But that didn't mean a lot of them weren't doing their best to try and impress.

Kiba, being one of the more spirited ones in the group, struck and slashed at his target repeatedly without mercy- and managed to knock a bit of its stuffing out with one of his kicks. His was probably one of the more intimidating displays. Across from him Sasuke Uchiha, who'd been mostly quiet throughout the class, attacked his straw partner with a flurry of graceful attacks- including jumping kicks and hooks, which racked the target from head to torso. And then there were those on the opposite end of the spectrum, such as Shikamaru- who simply decided to fall asleep against his dummy and catch a few Z's when the teacher wasn't looking.

Of course, Daikoku eventually found him out, and got him to do a hundred push-ups instead- which was devilishly fun to watch.

While the majority of the class awed at the strength displayed by the more talented ones and observed them between their own sets, the one child who seemed to blend in amongst all of them was Naruto. Keeping to his own post at the corner of the grouping of dummies away from everyone else, he struck and practiced against his straw target at his own pace. Despite the effort and strength he conveyed in his own display, he didn't go about making a show of it in front of everybody else. Instead he kept to the instructions so as to practice in peace, which meant his performance went unobserved for the most part.

He planned on showing off a little bit later.

Also, unlike the rest of his peers, Naruto didn't stick to the traditional form. Instead he stuck to practicing the style he'd been cultivating from the ONI tome, moving about the stump and striking at different angles. With graceful footwork, the boy leapt at his target and rattled it with a string of blows, mixing in spinning elbows and counters. Every once in a while he stopped to make some adjustments if a movement didn't feel right or if the distance wasn't sufficient. But aside from his pauses, Naruto continued training with extreme proficiency. Though he wasn't going all out, he still made sure he had a decent workout.

In the end the rest of the class ended up performing adequately before their instructor. Once all the rounds had been completed and all the kids had been assessed, Daikoku then called all of them back to their initial rallying point and had them stand by what was clearly a small fighting ring painted into the yard's floor. After everyone was gathered, the Chunin moved on with the last part of their session.

"Okay! Now I know you're all tired, which is good to see," Daikoku remarked with a smile, at the same time reaching out to pat the lone straw dummy he'd picked out to standing front and center on the field. "But if anyone still has fuel to burn, they can put their hands up and show us what they've learned from today."

There was a bit of lull amongst the kids, with all the boys and girls looking around to see who was bold enough to step up to the plate. As ever in any group, there was always going to be one boy who stood out above the rest-

"I'll go!" Kiba exclaimed loudly, stepping forward with his hand raised and his every-loyal pup Akamaru sitting inside his jacket. The boy with the scraggy brown hair and red marks on his cheeks grinned wolfishly as he approached the center of the arena. "Since everybody else seems too pooped to give it a shot, I suppose it's up to me to carry the team forward!"

Exasperating mannerisms aside, which did draw a laugh from Daikoku in kind, Kiba was the first to step up to the plate. As expected, the boy delivered a big and loud performance, showing off his Inuzuka brand of taijutsu against the dummy. He struck and kicked at the dummy with great ferocity, showing the same energy he did at the beginning of the lesson. The target literally rattled under his blows as he sprang around it, launching attacks from multiple angles. He even got his claws into the mix and managed to carve a nice slash across the torso, before eventually leaping back at the end of his last combo.

Once the dust settled, Daikoku graded him fairly, and allowed the next kid to step up.

A few boys tried and even a couple of girls. But the real star of the show was Sasuke Uchiha, who not only stepped forward in a cool and quiet manner, he also showed an equally rousing performance. Under the awe and adulation of his peers, the raven haired prodigy struck and attacked the dummy with a fierce series of blows. Though not as aggressive as Kiba's display, the boy definitely made up for it with style, striking the dummy with multiple firm punches and flick kicks. After landing a couple of leg hits to the head following a brisk spar, the child then spring-boarded off of its head and performed a gymnastic-like flip to land a safe distance away.

When the kids saw the boy stand up from his crouched stance, the boys in the class gave a polite applause while the girls all cried out with joy.

"He's so cool!"

"Sasuke-kun is so awesome!"

"He's going to be a great ninja some day!"

"You're the best, Sasuke-kun!" Ino shouted at the end, making sure her scream was the loudest by cupping her hands over her mouth. "Nice going!"

"Y-Yeah! Go, Sasuke-kun!" a pink-haired girl with a red bow in her hair, known in her class as Sakura, also called out.

"Alright. Very good work, Sasuke," Daikoku commented, receiving a nod from the boy in return before seeing him waltz off the field. "Great technique and decent power. No excessive or wasted movements whatsoever- though you did milk a few of those jumps. Try to shorten your strides a little bit to make them less noticeable. Other than that, I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop." As he watched the youngster return to the group, the man then turned to his class and propped his hands on his hips. "So then… last one. Anyone else want to have a go?"

The class for the most part remained silent, with most of the boys and girls murmuring to one another over who would step up next. After the terrific display given by Sasuke, who'd managed to show off some moves that no other kid before him had, it made sense that the rest of them were feeling a bit under pressure. There was no way anyone could match what the Uchiha had shown.

However, as silence started to fall, a hand suddenly rose up at the very edge of the gathering. When all eyes turned to the left of the crowd, all the kids saw the blonde, spiky-haired head of Naruto Uzumaki step forward.

Shoulders back and head sticking high and proud, the boy in the orange vest and green shorts marched out over the ring. "I'll give it a shot, sensei," the whiskered-child spoke, breaking out into a springing stride as he took to the stage.

Daikoku nodded as he stepped back a bit to give the child room. "Alright then, Naruto. Show us what you can do."

As Naruto moved into view, the rest of the class started talking amongst themselves. Unlike the time Sasuke stepped up, the comments and remarks that went around this time lacked the same enthusiasm and excitement. In fact, the atmosphere was almost decidedly doubtful.

"Naruto?"

"The loner?"

"The one who said he wanted to be Hokage last year?"

"Yeah. The noisy one who got beaten up a load of times by Kenta and his friends."

"Ha! This is going to be boring. Will the dummy even move when he hits it?"

"I bet he'll end up tripping over a lot."

These were many of the comments being shared by the boys and girls in the class, many of whom started snickering when jokes were also added to the mix. Words like 'dead last', 'slacker', 'loser' and 'idiot' were also added, which were easily heard by the blonde go-getter. As always however, Naruto elected to ignore them, and instead decided to shut them up the best way he knew how- via performance.

Everyone waited for Naruto to come within range of the dummy and give what they were all expecting to be a mediocre show. However, it came as a big surprise to the class and to Daikoku when they saw the blond youngster stop on the other side of the chalk-drawn ring- a dozen or so yards from the dummy. At first everyone assumed he was going to charge bull-headed at the target and lay into it with a string of rowdy, messy punches.

But Naruto once again caught them off guard when he slid his foot out, dropped into a low stance, extended his arms in front of him, crossed them, and clawed his hands. The position he inevitably assumed caught the attention of Daikoku, who watched the child curiously while he held his form and focused his attention on the target.

The child's stance also caught the attention of Sasuke, who gave the blond an intrigued look, whereas the rest of their year level just stared at Naruto strangely.

"What the heck is he doing?" one of the boys asked.

"He's standing so weirdly… and so far away from the dummy," a girl spoke next.

"Hey! Idiot! You're supposed to be standing next to the target! Not on the other side of the field!"

A cackle from another random child echoed up from the crowd, "You won't be able to punch anything from there!"

The moment he heard that last shout, Naruto smirked, "Oh, I'm fine where I am." He then inhaled sharply, held his breath, and swiftly spun his arms around his body. Performing a defensive kata, he then followed-up with a double-palm thrust, twisting and spinning his arms around one another as he did so, and allowing his fingers to carve through the air like knives.

The act of which generated a gust of highly pressured air that shot across the court to strike the straw-filled dummy. The effect was instantaneous. As soon as the wind died down and the dummy finished rattling, outwardly rippling cuts appeared all across the front of the scarecrow before it suddenly cascaded to the ground in pieces. When the entire thing collapsed and the dust settled, a satisfied Naruto exited his fighting stance and turned to see what his score was.

What he found was Daikoku and the rest of his entire class gaping at him with wide-eyes, clearly stunned by the display. A little bit unnerved by the silence and the staring, the blond child giggled and rubbed the back of his head in a very characteristic manner.

"Oops. I think my aim was a little bit off," Naruto said, referring to the dummy he'd so handily diced into pieces and was now lying on the floor. When he looked over at it, the blond then made another remark. "I was only supposed to take out its head. But I guess I have to make my hand spins a little bit smaller." He then looked down at his palms thoughtfully. "Hmm… maybe I can do something with my fingers to help with that?"

While the children continued to stare with gob smacked expressions at the child and his handiwork, a previously stumped Daikoku quickly inhaled his composure back in and analyzed the remains of the scarecrow. _"He used circular hand movements to launch a high pressure stream of wind at a distant target using_ _ **only**_ _taijutsu."_ The Chunin quickly looked back at the child to see he was still playing around with his hands. _"I've never seen anything like it before. What kind of training has this kid done?"_

Daikoku was at much of a loss as the rest of the kids, with the display causing even Kiba and Sasuke to gape at the blond. Up until this day, everyone had thought Naruto's academic abilities and shinobi skills had been mediocre at best- certainly not worth talking about or ogling in any way. But after what everyone had just seen, it was like somebody had removed all of their feet and subsequently shoved each of them into their owners' mouths.

Ino for one had been lifted up onto her toes from amazement and was staring at the blonde child in awe. "That was… _so_ _awesome_."

"H-How did he do that?" Sakura murmured, also completely awed by the display.

Unbeknownst to the Chunin and the rest of the class, up in the academy building standing at one of the windows on the second floor, adorned in white robes with his Hokage hat astride his head, the seasoned face of one Hiruzen Sarutobi could be seen staring down at the quad with an intrigued look on his gruff face. Having just arrived minutes ago to watch the first years undergo their taijutsu training, the third selected leader of the village allowed a surprised murmur to leave his throat.

"That technique…" Hiruzen muttered out loud, before choosing to keep his next words to himself. _"That was a move used in the_ _ **Uzuken**_ (Vortex Fist) _taijutsu style–_ _a rare and dangerous martial arts created by the Uzumaki Clan to counter the Hyuuga's_ _ **Juken**_ (Gentle Fist) _style."_ The old man then watched Naruto slowly walk off of the field, still being looked on by the silent class of children who he'd effectively shut up with his demonstration. _"This form was only taught to members of the clan's main family, who were being trained to become part of the Uzukage's elite guard. Anyone who's ever mastered this style is now either dead or in hiding… and all the scrolls and tomes relating to the martial arts were destroyed long ago with the rest of the village. So how did Naruto-kun manage to learn it?"_

Apparently he wasn't the only one who had been looking on. Walking along the path towards the administration wing of the distract, wearing white and black robes, bandages wrapped around his face, and a cane helping to support him, another elderly shinobi had taken an interest in the displays that'd been taking place. After concealing himself behind a tree, the seemingly decrepit man had observed not only Sasuke's performance, but also the blonde's stellar use of taijutsu.

Needless to say, the youngster with the whiskers had certainly caught a lot of attention.

Naruto stepped off the field a little bit awkwardly, as he could feel a whole bunch of eyes glued to him. This being the first time he'd received so much acknowledgement at one time, the blond was understandably feeling a tad bit uncomfortable, and so did his best to try and hide himself once again at the edge of the crowd.

This didn't seem to help him much. And so for the rest of the lesson- not to mention the rest of the school day- he had to put up with the prickly sensation of having multiple gazes glued on him and the newly revised string of whispers floating around his person.

XXX

(Three days later)

Things seemed to calm down a little bit after that lesson. When the next day came around and the bell for school sounded, all the classes in the academy had moved on to other equally important matters, allowing them to become preoccupied with other things. It happened so promptly that Naruto's little display out on the quad became seemingly forgotten by his peers, allowing the blond to settle back into his routine and carry on with his studies in peace.

However, despite the drop in interest, the young jinchuriki couldn't help but feel like the situation hadn't been fully resolved yet, as every once in a while he could feel the distinct sensation of eyes boring into the back of his head.

It wasn't a feeling of ill intent or anything like that. More of genuine curiosity that many children often received when facing down something new.

Of course, Naruto chose to overlook this and went on with his days as usual- training in the morning, school mid-day, and then more training in the afternoon. Sticking to these motions, he hoped that the rest of his tenure would go on without any further incidences or consequences.

But then, one Friday morning during one of the academy's customary break periods, Naruto's previously uneventful day took a surprising turn.

Just like every other day, Naruto found himself underneath his favorite tree with the wooden swing, watching the other kids playing ball and chasey across the outside courtyard. Instead of wallowing about in misery like he had been several months ago, the blond had chosen to use his time productively to practice some _**Fuinjutsu**_ in private. He did so using a set of calligraphy brushes and some easy-wash black ink, and was using both to paint seals along his wrist, hand and forearm.

Nothing like a little bit of art to help calm your nerves.

As a precaution, the jinchuriki had left his book back at his apartment so that he didn't end up losing it during class and break times. It's a system he'd adopted ever since he first got it and found out how valuable the tome was. He'd also added a new front cover to the ONI dictionary itself- disguising it as a _Volume I Origami Instruction Book_ , so that if anyone ended up snooping around his house while he was away with the intention of robbing him, they would think twice about taking a peek. He'd also cleverly positioned some origami around the book on his night stand to show how much "progress" he was actually making from it.

Doing so meant that Naruto had to practice his techniques from memory. While this did prove difficult at first, with some careful reading, revision, and good old-fashioned persistence, the child was able to polish up his recollection skills, and practice the drill from the book without needing to lean on its instructions as a crutch. He'd actually gotten so good at this that he could now write out sealing formulas without having to look at the pages for help.

The one he was working on right now was a simple sealing formula that would allow him to store weapons and objects into clothing and parts of his body. By doing so, not only would this allow him to sneak material through check-points or past guards without drawing any attention, but he could also limit the amount of stuff he needed to carry while traveling. At least that was what was explained in the book.

Right now he was putting the theories to the test by painting the seals on his wrist and then putting his chakra through them to activate and deactivate the markings.

After wiping off his wrist following a third attempt, Naruto was once again painting another seal across his wrist using the thin brush. Narrowing his eyes as he concentrated on not making a single mistake, the child ended up finishing the tiny summoning circle and set his brush down. Blowing on it a couple of times to make sure it was properly dry, he then picked up the smooth grey rock he had been practice with and pressed it against the seal.

With one hand, he then formed half a Ram seal, which allowed him to focus his chakra to his forearm and into the newly painted temporary tattoo he had made. This was immediately followed by a puff of white smoke, as the rock he was using vanished into thin air.

Gritting in triumph, the child made a fist and pumped it excitedly. "Yes! I did it!" Having finally made a successful seal on his skin, the boy then decided to see if he could reverse the effect.

Forming a Ram sign and then a Monkey sign, he then dragged the fingers of his left hand over the mark, which resulted in another puff of white smoke as the rock rolled down from the sealing circle and dropped to the floor. Clumsily catching it, the blond then looked at it to see that it was the same grey stone he'd sealed away just seconds before. This made his grin widen significantly as he tossed it up and down in a showy manner.

"Sweet." The technique was simple, but effective. It was also clearly one of the biggest steps in training the youngster had made in the last couple of weeks, which had the child practically leaping on the inside. "I need to add more. See what happens. Maybe I can seal rocks into different circles on the same arm. Or multiple rocks in the same one!"

Wanting to practice a little bit longer, Naruto prepared his calligraphy pallet to start on a second seal. But just as he was about to dip his brush into the ink, the boy heard a set of feet land next to him and a shadow fall over his position. When he looked up, the blond received quite a start when he saw two curious faces staring down at him.

It took him a second to realize that the cute mugs with green and blue eyes respectively belonged to none other than his classmates Sakura and Ino, who had apparently come over from where they were playing to watch the blond youngster hard at work. Naruto awkwardly stared back at them, brush in hand and a rather stumped expression slapped across his face. Seeing them so close had him look between them anxiously, as he had clearly not been expecting for a couple if his classmates to come right up to him.

Clearing his throat, the boy in the orange vest then looked at the girls and smiled weakly. "H-Hi?"

Studying the ink and brush the boy was holding, Ino leant forward with her hands behind her and asked inquisitively. "Whatcha' doin' over here? Painting?"

"Oh. Umm. Yeah," Naruto stammered, looking between his work and back to the girls cumbersomely. "Something like that."

Sakura, who was also appearing equally nervous, moved over to also take a better look. "But you don't have any paper. Are you practicing on yourself?"

The blonde gave a brisk nod. "Uh-huh. Check it out." He then held up his wrist to show the girls exactly what he'd done, which immediately had them looking down at his wrist in wonder. "I've just been teaching myself how to paint this stuff from scratch. At first I had to use scrolls on a table to practice, but now I've started doing it on my arms."

"Wow," Sakura exclaimed under her breath, squatting down as she stared at the elaborate little circle on the child's wrist.

"Is that a seal that you can use to put stuff in?" Ino asked, reaching up with her finger as if to prod the marking, but reframing from doing so if it turned out to be something else. "My daddy showed me some of these from the scrolls that he had in his office… but I've never seen one this small before."

"Yeah. They're… really, _really_ tricky to learn, and I ended up making a lot of mistakes the first time I started," Naruto chuckled, moving his arm back while Ino walked around to squat down on the other side. Seeing as how Sakura was on his right she didn't have much room there, so she decided to make herself some. "But after months of practice, I finally managed to get most of them right. It's helped me a lot with my drawing and painting skills as well."

It'd been one of the side-effects of using a brush and pencil so often. Thanks to the fact that he had to work on painting such precise lines and kanji, not only had Naruto become proficient in writing letters from different positions and different angles, but he'd also become good at painting all sorts of lines. This also included aspects of landscape and basic portraiture.

Heck, since he'd had to practice with both hands in order to make seals, he'd also become somewhat ambidextrous in this art. This just showed how far the benefits of self-teaching could actually take someone like him, even if he did screw up a lot.

"That is really cool," Sakura remarked while looking across at the blond boy with whiskers. When she saw him look up at her, the girl then blinked a little when she got a good look at his face and hair. "Huh. You were in my reception class last year, weren't you?"

"Yeah. I was."

"I remember you," the pinkette chirped, her statement drawing the attention of Ino across to her as well. "Naruto Uzumaki, right? You tried to stop a bunch of boys who were picking on me and teasing me about my forehead. I was crying… and you stepped in to defend me."

Scratching his head at that, Naruto then blinked into realization when he recalled that particular incident. "Oh yeah. That was Kenta and his group of idiot friends." He then frowned as he glared ahead of him distastefully. "They outnumbered me, so they pushed me over and started kicking me while I was on the floor. I think I ended up swallowing one of my teeth because of them." While not the proudest moment in his life, he was still able to chase them off in a way when a teacher came by to break them up.

Of course, it didn't stop him from getting a bunch of bruises and cuts on his face. But it was thanks to that moment that he was able to meet up with old lady Haruka when he was walking home from school. If that moment hadn't happened, he would've ended up passing by her completely and not stopped to help.

Upon hearing the boy say that, Sakura's cheeks warmed and a smile appeared across her lips. "Thank you." Her little words of gratitude drew a surprised glance from the jinchuriki, who turned in time to saw her lean over with a sincere glimmer in her irises. "I was alone and scared that day, and you did something really good for me. I'll never forget it."

At this, Naruto broke out a big happy grin, and nodded to the girl with the red bow in her hair. "You're welcome. I really don't like bullies… and anyone who picks on anybody for anything is a real stupid-head." His remark had Sakura giggle, which in turn also drew a laugh from the orphan. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Frowning when she saw her two classmates laughing with each other and feeling a little bit left out because of it, Ino then grinned and grabbed Naruto by the forearm. "Hey, hey. Do you think you can paint something on my arm too? Like a flower or something? I bet it would look really nice."

When the cheerful Naruto heard her question, he straightened up where he was sitting and nodded. "Yeah. Of course I can, dattebayo." When he saw Ino kneel down beside him, he then dipped his brush in his ink well and gestured to her. "Which arm do you want me to do it on?'

"This one," Ino said while promptly thrusting her right forearm towards the youngster.

"Oh! Oh! Me too! Me too!" Sakura chirped, also holding out her right arm for the child, whose head snapped back and forth from the sudden overspill of requests he was getting. "Can you paint me a butterfly, please?"

"Yeah. But I'll have to do them one at a time. I don't think I can do two paintings at once," Naruto laughed, bringing Ino's arm closer to him and causing the girl to snicker when he tapped the end of his brush against his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm? Now what kind of flower should I do?" He then stopped when he heard the blonde girl next to him start laughing loudly, which had him look at the Yamanaka in surprise. "Huh? What's wrong?"

Trying her best to hold it in, the giggling girl then pointed up at his face. "Y-You got ink on your chin."

"Wha-?" Touching his face with his other hand and looking down at his fingers, the boy freaked out when he realized he'd tapped his chin with the wrong end of the brush. "GAAAH! YUCK! PFT! PFT! Damn it all. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!" His exclamations- and the fact that trying to rub off the ink only meant that he was making the smudges worse- only served to cause the two girls sitting on either side of him to laugh even harder.

Managing to clean it off with one of the towels he'd brought, but still leaving a bit on him that it actually looked tasteful, the child with blond spiky hair then proceeded to fulfil the requests of his two classmates. What surprised him the most about this whole thing wasn't the fact that he actually managed to paint some awesome ink pictures on their arms or the fact that he was able to show off his talents, it was the fact that the two girls just stayed with him for the rest of recess, talking and having a good time. They even hung around with him during class time and lunch, with even Shikamaru and Choji inviting themselves along to hang out with him on the playground.

And hell, when the next week rolled around and classes started again, they came back. That was probably Naruto's biggest surprise and with some albeit clumsy effort on his part, he managed to join in on their games.

So, for the first time he could remember, Naruto actually managed to find company.

XXX

(Over the next month)

Ever since the first night he discovered the Kyuubi in the dank, dreary sewer system of his apparently multi-layered subconscious, Naruto had been using every opportunity he could get to visit the estranged fox. Though it took him a while- and many meditation sessions later to figure out exactly how he managed to drop into the dimension where the giant gates were- after consulting the tome from Haruka for answers and learning about the particulars of imprisonment seals being imprinted onto living beings, the child figured out how to willfully open up communications with the nine-tailed biju.

Most of his visits to the cell gates were done at night while he was asleep, as it allowed him to pretty much hit two birds with one stone- rest and chat. But so far, despite his calm and pleasant demeanor, his attempts to strike up conversation and befriend the enormous demon had failed to bear any fruit. Even after four months of trying, the Kyuubi was stubbornly refusing to reciprocate any attempts at conversation- choosing instead of ignore him and pretend to be fast asleep.

Though there were a few times that Naruto was able to get the fox to say more than a few words- with most of these moments being threats towards his life and him being turned into a quarter-pounder people sandwich for the demon to munch on- the blond kept on prodding. As irritated as the fox acted whenever he was around, the young jinchuriki greatly enjoyed dropping into the pocket-dimension to hang out with the giant animal. The fact that he could bypass the gates and hop onto its back without it being able to do anything to him was definitely a big win, and Naruto kept returning to the pits in hopes that maybe the Kyuubi would finally decide to open up to him.

As slow going as it was, Naruto had a feeling he was making good progress. The same could be said with the few kids he managed to do parlay with following their first outdoor taijutsu class. Somehow, to this day, the kids were still hanging out with him despite what their parents had probably told them, which made the blond feel very happy.

Aside from that, Naruto continued on with his training and studying. During the past four months, he was able to learn a variety of new and different things. Not only was his skills in hand-to-hand combat increasing at a satisfying rate, but his knowledge and understanding of fuinjutsu was also growing.

One of the first and most important things he was able to find out was what a _jinchuriki_ actually was. Apparently they were humans who had these yokai- more commonly known as biju- sealed inside of their bodies, and had been specially selected as hosts to keep the demons in check. According to the history books he was able to uncover in the academy library, there were a total of nine known biju in the world, all of whom were divided between the Five Great Villages to be used as military trump cards by the nations, as well as important pieces in political power plays- whatever that meant.

From what Naruto gathered, while the other four big villages were in possession of the other biju, _Konohagakure_ got the Kyuubi no Yoko; the strongest and most famous of them all. It made him think about the significance of the setup and how he came to have it with him in the first place. He guessed it had to be something significant.

However, rather than ask about it from the Hokage- who he was sure was well aware of his situation along with all the other adults in the village- Naruto decided it best to keep the news of his discovery to himself. If no one had told him about having the Kyuubi at this point and that he as supposedly its host, then there had to be a good reason for keeping all of this information hush. As far as he was concerned, since nobody wanted to really talk to him or tell him about it, he didn't have to tell anyone either.

It was his business.

Deciding to go with a less straight-forward and less troublesome approach, the blond opted to continue to try and befriend the nine-tails instead. Hopefully, given time, he'd be able to get some answers from the grumpy old ball of fur and ask him how things turned out the way they had.

In the meantime, Naruto's progress in _fuinjutsu_ stretched beyond the point of understanding and started encroaching upon the field of application. This in itself proved a very enriching area for him, as not only was he now able to seal and unseal objects at will on whatever surface he wanted thanks to base training methods he was able to learn, he could also create his own markings on scrolls, materials, and clothing to carry whatever he wanted, and set them up so as to be able to launch projectiles at targets instantaneously after summoning them.

That much was standard. Even though he could create his own scrolls and markings, the techniques were pretty standard, and certainly weren't enough to keep Naruto's interest for long. This encouraged him to look further into the book for something a little more interesting to do with the seals he knew.

It was then, in a small chapter between the storage seals block and the tracking section he found another segment that looked like it had been scribbled in. Appearing newer than the earlier sections, the seals detailed in this section fell under the heading _**Modoru Hiku Fuin**_ (Pull Back Seal). This consisted of a specially crafted seal that could be applied to a person's wrist and palm, which was in the shape of a whirlpool with inwardly rotating arrows composed of unique kanji. This was accompanied by a second series of interlocking seals, which would need to be applied to an object of his choosing in order for the technique to function. The book said it had something to do with weapons, which got Naruto thinking that maybe he could use this somehow…

OOO

Sitting on a tree log on the edge of a park somewhere in the center of the village, Naruto was just going through the finishing touches to his latest project. After all his practice and testing he'd done at home, he'd finally gotten to the point he could put his hard work and persistence into practice. First it was all about coming up with an appropriate configuration of the seals for a rounded shaft. His second task after that was picking out an appropriate "tool of destruction" he could attach his artistry to.

After panning over a whole bunch of weapons from a list of a hundred from the ninja armament catalogue, which could be found at any hidden leaf library, the one he ended up picking that was his size, practical, and more importantly _affordable_ , was a hunting axe. While uncommon as a military weapon, but even rarer to be seen in the hands of a shinobi, the weapon Naruto plucked was more or less a tool used for chopping wood and cutting vines on camping trips.

The store owner called it a tactical combat tomahawk, with a broad metal head that had an elongated, curved edge, and a wooden handle designed for easy gripping. The weapon overall was about eighteen to twenty inches long, and weighed probably about nine to ten ounces, meaning that even Naruto could wield it easily enough in battle. But using it for pure hand-to-hand combat wasn't the only thing he was aiming to do with this weapon.

After checking the black seals running up and down the handle of the hatchet like vines around a pole, the child then gripped it deftly in his right hand and focused his chakra into his palm. The act of which caused the black markings around his wrist and in his palm to glow blue, which in turn caused the marks on the axe to light up as well- resonating with the weapon and tuning into it.

Upon finalizing the contract between the weapon and his person, the child then nodded and stood up. Spinning the axe in his hand a couple of times and juggling it to test its weight, the child then decided to pick a target and turned to a tree standing a hundred yards away. Frown appearing across his lips, Naruto took a deep breath and assumed a stance.

As soon as he was comfortable, the jinchuriki cocked back his right arm and threw the axe with a loud grunt. The weapon spun through the air at a terrific speed before slamming into the side of the tree with a hefty _thump_. The impact not only shook the tree a little but also punched a sizable divot into its surface.

Once the tomahawk had embedded itself into the tree, the six-year-old wielder took a few steps back, before extending his right arm and opening his hand. The moment he did and filled his palm with chakra, the stuck axe suddenly jittered telepathically where it was sitting. A split second later, another loud _thump_ followed by a _whoosh_ echoed across the clearing when the hatchet- as if possessed by a spirit- ripped itself out of the tree and flew straight back into Naruto's hand, which he deftly caught.

The feeling of his arm jerking back and his fingers wrapping around the handle of his newly returned weapon was probably the most satisfying sensation the jinchuriki had ever received while training. His wide eyes stared down at the hunting axe for several seconds, his brain slowly ticking over before a few well-earned chuckles left his lips and his grip tightened around the tool's handle.

"This is so freakin' cool!" Practically laughing when he said this, Naruto loaded up his arm again and lobbed it towards another tree- watching it spin and clip the side of the trunk as it flew past. While it was still airborne, the youngster held his hand towards it and, as if literally possessing mind powers over matter, ripped the weapon out of midflight and called it back to his hand once again. "HA-HA-HA! YEEES!"

From there Naruto proceeded to have the time of his life, throwing his hatchet across the park into random trees. Some hits landed, some throws missed, but after every single one the child flexed the capabilities of his new seal combo by drawing his weapon back to him and trying again. He tried all sorts of methods; holding his hand out to his side, in the direction he threw it, behind him, at his back, in his pocket, and more. Over and over, without fail, the axe returned to him.

What Naruto discovered was that the way he positioned his hand also dictated the trajectory of the weapon's return flight, with the boy having to keep his limb exposed if he wanted to catch it properly. If not, it ended up flying past and lapping him, until it got a clear trek back to his palm.

All points considered, this was perhaps one of the greatest discoveries Naruto had made thus far.

Looking fondly across at the hatchet after catching it for the thirtieth time in a row, the child nodded as he then said the next thing that came to mind. "I'm gonna call you… _Kazaha_ (Wind Blade)… and you and I are going to conquer the world together."

Naruto marked that moment. Because to him, it was the day he made his first fulltime promise.

OOO

As his progress through the book gained traction, the jinchuriki began embarking on a few more forays into the unknown. About halfway through his book, the text started mentioning stuff about projecting chakra from the body to form seals at long range. This implied that through proper training, concentration, and hard work, the jinchuriki could- in theory- create, activate, and unlock summoning seals on objects without having to come into direct contact with them.

Most of these were very advanced techniques however. Since the formations behind them were so much more complex than the basic summoning and storage seals he'd been working on so far, Naruto anticipated that he wouldn't be getting to these ones until much further down the line. That's what he was able to gauge when he skimmed ahead through the next series of chapters, which he knew he wouldn't be getting to until about four… five more years- at least.

This being such a complex area of study for someone his age, the youngster didn't want to rush his training. Nothing good ever came from skipping ahead and missing out on important details that would otherwise warn him of any consequences with using some of these techniques, which was something Haruka had warned him about in her last letter to him. If the equation behind a particular seal could allow him to communicate with an enormous demon fox residing inside of a pocket dimension inside of his own body, then it stood to reason that there may be some other nasty surprises waiting behind some of these later lessons.

…

…

But of course, Naruto was still a child- and a curious one at that. And like all children, two of their biggest faults were: _curiosity_ and _overdoing_ _it_.

Being a force of habit rather than a thing of necessity, the orphan couldn't help but sneak a few glances ahead to see what other cool techniques were waiting for him in the upcoming sections. As much as he tried to heed the warnings of the encyclopedia, as well as the instinctive ones resonating in his memories, if there were even more useful abilities than the one he'd learned to do with the axe, it was nearly impossible for him to be able to contain his inquisitiveness.

As it stood, it wouldn't be too long before Naruto found out his faults the hard way.

That being said, a couple weeks after he'd learned how to apply the _Pull Back Seal_ , while flipping through the chapters in the introduction to long-distance sealing techniques, he came across another unusual chapter…

OOO

It was a Saturday morning and, as usual, Naruto was spending his waking hours quietly reading from his book over a bowl of oats and toast. Already dressed in his outdoor clothing- consisting of an orange vest and green shorts- the child was absently chewing on a piece of bread while at the same time admiring the pictures in his text.

Almost finished with his bread, the youngster then grabbed a handful of pages at the point where he had bookmarked the _Modoru Hiku Fuin_ chapter and flipped it over to it, hoping that maybe he could find some new fuinjutsu to go along with his hatchet training. Since his discovery of the retracting technique, he'd also been teaching himself how to use the tomahawk in combat, which was turning out to be a great deal of fun. However, that being the case, and since he didn't have anything planned for himself today except some more combat training, he wanted to see if there was anything else he could add to the seals he had with the axe.

Flipping through the pages afterwards to see what else there was, the youngster then paused when he accidentally opened up to the long-range seal page, and found a rather interesting looking series of pictures.

These consisted of a bunch of figures in various kata positions- at least that's what Naruto thought they were on first glance. All of the illustrations had the shinobi with their hands and arms extended, and projecting what looked like summoning seals in midair. However, as the blond looked a little bit more carefully at them, the pictures in the stages further down had the people stepping through the center of the summoning circle and then coming out of another one further along the page like doorways.

The only difference was that these "doors" were positioned far apart from one another, with absolutely nothing in between.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto then looked at the name of the technique.

" _ **Tentaimon?"**_ (Celestial Gate)

The name sounded badass, which then had the still-eating Naruto begin reading the ins-and-outs of the technique. Apparently this was one of the first in a long list of projection seals that could be produced without a surface. All the user had to do was project their chakra into their hands or fingers in order to produce the seal, which would then open up a doorway for the user to step through. The exit of which was dictated by the amount of chakra used and the user's own knowledge.

The method behind this seemed simple enough. All Naruto had to do was paint a series of interloping kanji rings around his wrists, which would form the template through which the boy would send his chakra through. This would then be projected outwards in the air above his palm to create a gateway big enough for him to step through. Considering the door ways were only a few yards apart, Naruto figured it was safe enough for him to use.

So, after promptly finishing his breakfast and brushing his teeth, the youngster made a copy of the seal structure on a piece of scroll, hid his book, threw on his sandals, fixed his hatchet to his belt, grabbed his inking kit, and went straight to the nearest park.

Upon arriving there, the youngster found the nearest bench and sat himself down to work. From there he proceeded to paint the seal marks along both his wrists, being sure to pay careful attention to the letters and whether they were mixed in with other directional arrows or deceptive lines.

The thing about the techniques in this book was that they were created to make deciphering by enemy shinobi very complicated. You couldn't simply rip off these kinds of seals or copy them right away. The person first had to understand the basic fundamentals of their creation if they wanted to successfully break down these seals. If no one understood the coding or the order that the layers of each formation was made, you could end up tightening the seal and making things a whole lot worse.

That's why Naruto loved this stuff, because he loved challenges. And nothing was more challenging than trying to imprint a series of kanji in sequence in order to accomplish something amazing. The best part about this was that he knew enough about chakra to be able to use these things successfully. Case in point- his tomahawk.

"Okay… I think… that should do it," the six-year-old youngster chirped after finishing the last dash of the kanji belt around his wrist. Blowing on it to make sure that it dried properly, Naruto then took the copy he had written down on paper and shoved it into his pocket. He then stood up and shook his hands out. "Now to activate it." Forming the Ram seal, he focused his chakra into his forearms and watched the ring seals on his skin light up blue from end to end.

Once he was certain that the marks had registered to his chakra, the child then performed the unique hand seals that were required for the technique to work. The first one was forming the tiger fists on both hands, which he then thrust forward with one directly behind the other. He then rotated both hands back, flattened them on top of each other, before thrusting the hand he was using out, allowing him to launch the seal from his palm.

The act of which suddenly caused a blue flash of light to fire from his hand, which immediately formed into a series of outwardly rotating kanji and arrows. A split second later, a wide, glowing blue circle of lettering and seal marks had formed in the air right in front of the jinchuriki, with the center seemingly opening a window or a gateway to a different spot in the clearing he was standing in.

Blinking in confusion, Naruto stepped to the side and looked around the magnified image of the trees and the circle of seals in front of him, and glimpsed the same patch of forest standing across the clearing- only this time it was much further away. Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, the blond then turned back to the ethereal window, took a deep breath, and- very cautiously- stuck his hand through the barrier.

Had he been looking around the wormhole at that very moment, he would have been able to see his hand suddenly appear out of thin air through a tiny rip in space a hundred meters away. It waved and wiggled to test the atmosphere, which coincidentally was what Naruto was doing at that very moment when he felt his limb pass through without issue.

Feeling nothing odd or dangerous on the other side, Naruto exhaled once more before, with a brave grunt and a wide stride, he stepped through the window with a single skip. The blond ended up tripping when he misjudged the distance to the ground and the child hilariously tumbled to the grass on the other side. Yelping when he landed on his back, the blond quickly rolled over and looked up, where he saw the floating gateway he'd stepped through at the other end of the reserve vanish in the blink of an eye.

Eyes widening and breath quickening, it took Naruto a few moments to realize exactly what'd he'd just done.

"I… I teleported?" he whispered to himself in shock.

To be more precise, what'd actually happened to the now stunned youngster was that he'd ended up creating a portal- a doorway that connected two distant locations to one another via a space-time anomaly. By stepping through it, the portal allowed him to literally jump from one spot to another a considerable distance away almost instantaneously, cutting his travel time literally to nothing. The concept was similar to the cosmological description of a wormhole, only this one was manifested using chakra, not science.

How Naruto was able to do this was beyond him. But from what he remembered reading about _fuinjutsu_ , which allowed the user to store and transport objects to a separate space or dimension, the child guessed that this type of seal worked in a very similar manner- only the gateway used to push objects through was being kept open for a substantially longer period of time. It was also visible, allowing the user to see exactly where he was transporting matter or objects too.

The full gravity and significance of Naruto's discovery continued to hammer down on him like an otherworldly apparition and, just like the _Pull Back Seal_ he'd practiced as well, lit a fire of excitement in the child's heart that you would not believe. With a joyous laugh, the orphan literally sprang to his feet, looking down at his hands and the seals he had created. It was almost like he'd discovered a new and revolutionary ramen recipe with the ability to make him faster and stronger… minus the noodles of course.

Right now Naruto was finding it very difficult to accurately describe just how happy he really was. Let's just say he was more than overwhelmed.

"This… is amazing! No! Better than amazing! If I practice this enough, I should easily be able to travel to and from places in a matter of seconds!" If he was thinking about how he could approach this the right way, he wouldn't have to get up to run to school anymore. He'd just be able to shoot a portal at his bedroom wall, step through it and voila- he was in his classroom.

The best part about this however wasn't just the potential behind this technique or what he could accomplish with it. It was the fact that he didn't feel tired or exhausted at all. His chakra levels were completely normal.

Deciding to test it out some more, Naruto looked back at the spot where his ink and painting set was. Focusing on that, the child quickly formed the required seals and fired another portal in front of him, flinging it to the space a few feet away. As soon as it was there and he saw the tree log where he'd started clearly sitting in front of him, the child ran at it, jumped through, and landed right on top of the fallen trunk in a crouched position; his form flashing into view right back where he'd started.

Though he nearly fell off after dropping on top of it, the boy grinned, stood up, and hopped off of his rickety platform. "Awesome. Let's see how fast I can make them."

For the next twenty minutes the excited blond began practicing with the portals, producing them in random spots and studying his aim. While creating portals, he measured the distances he was able to travel around the clearing based on the amount of chakra he put behind each one. A single seal only required a drop of chakra, but by adding a bit more every time, he was able to increase the range of travel. He didn't overdo it however, as even a small increase sent him outside of the clearing and onto one of the roads of the village.

He quickly corrected this by jumping back to where he'd started.

The funny thing about this was that he didn't have to work on rearranging the seals to work out where he wanted to go. All he had to do was visualize where he needed to go and the portals would take him straight there. Even if it wasn't a hundred percent accurate, it was still within normal, acceptable means.

But as they say, all good things don't last forever. Sooner or later, something was bound to happen.

That moment happened when Naruto decided to get a little bit too creative. Producing a bit more chakra than normal this time, he aimed one of his portals downward into the floor with his hand, intending to have the seal launch him through the air, upon which he would then land stylishly back on solid ground.

However, he misjudged the positioning of his aim and- when the glowing gateway opened up on the grass- the child was standing right on top of it.

"Huh? Wha-aaAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Naruto cried out when the floor vanished from under him and he fell straight into the portal. What followed from there was the single most terrifying ten minutes he'd ever experienced in his entire young life.

In the blink of an eye, the child found himself plummeting through thick cloud cover, the portal dropping him from the upper troposphere and sending him falling towards the planet twenty kilometers below. His body being thrown into an immediate spin, all Naruto saw was land, sky, land, sky, land, sky, land and sky, over and over and over again, as he tumbled and somersaulted through the slipstreams on a nonstop drop towards Kami knew where over _Hi no Kuni_ (Land of Fire).

The shock of his sudden dive from around 70,000 feet had Naruto screaming at the top of his lungs- the child's arms and legs flailing about as he attempted to grab hold of something- _anything_ \- to stop himself. It was only a few seconds later that he realized he was literally falling out of the sky and spinning completely out of control, watching through a blur of rotations as he drew closer and closer towards the ground. And the worst thing was that it seemed his body was falling faster and faster, gradually heading towards what scientists called terminal velocity.

"AAAaaaaahhh! OH CRAP! NO! No, no, no, no, no, NO, NO! AAaaa-aaahh! Help me! S-Someone! PLEASE! ANYBODY!" Naruto shouted as his body continued tumbling, being racked from all directions by high winds as he did his best to stop from losing consciousness. Unable to right himself through movement, the child panted rapidly, desperately trying to think of a way out of this. But as he was now, he was literally in no position to act in any known practical manner. "NO! NO! What do I do?! WHAT DO I DO! SHIT! SHIIIIIIIT!"

This being the first time he remembered ever swearing so loudly and profusely, the youngster was unable to do anything as he felt all the blood in his body rushing around in all directions. Everywhere. All at once. Everything around him was turning into a heavy, nauseating haze, making believe what he thought to be his last moments on earth the most sickening and terrifying venture of all. With no branches to grab on to and not a living soul around to catch him, all the child could do was flail and scream.

 _"I... I'm going to die."_

This was it. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. As his body broke through another layer of clouds and tossed about uselessly like a ragdoll caught on the wind, the boy knew that this was the end for him. There was no turning back. No salvation. No relief. The best he could do was try and drag out his fall as long as he could, and do everything he could to stop from losing consciousness. However, as his speed picked up and his spin became more erratic, the youngster found himself slowly losing his grip on his cognitive abilities and functions. It wouldn't be too long until he passed out.

As his head swam, his eyes fluttered, and the sensation of encroaching blackness started to overcome him, in his dwindling moments of lucidity, the boy suddenly heard a soft voice call out his name.

" _Naruto…"_

…

" _Naruto…"_

…

" _Reach out your arms… steady yourself…"_

Gasping when he heard the sound of the woman's voice, the previously groggy Naruto clenched his teeth and did as she said. Stretching out with his limbs, the boy steeled himself, which allowed his body to catch properly on the wind. The moment he did, he felt his body stop spinning, and looked up to see the land before him. As he was still so high up, the youngster could easily spot the curvature of the earth stretching out across the horizon, and forest-covered mountains and valleys sewn together on the blanket of land directly beneath him. Hell, he could also make out the telltale signs of lakes as well.

Gritting his teeth as he felt the wind and vapors whip at his face, the child with tears in his eyes took a few deep breaths. This allowed him to clear the fog from his head and slow the rate of his heart, which had nearly come close to breaking through his chest.

In that moment, Naruto closed his eyes, and attempted to regain a sense of clarity. If he was going to die, the very least he could do was go out with a clear head. He blocked everything out, including the sound of the howling winds whipping around him as his body continued to plummet from the sky.

However, about several seconds after silence came over his world, the child once again heard the woman's voice. It was so clear, it was almost as though the owner was floating right beside him.

" _Make the seal…"_

"… _focus your aim…"_

"… _towards the grass…"_

Eyes flying open once more after another minute of falling, the boy saw the land give shape to fields of farms and crops. Realizing he only had about a couple minutes longer before he hit ground, the child then did as he was instructed. Struggling to bring his arms forward due to the wind and the speed he was falling, he then formed the hand sign for his technique and focused his chakra.

Steadying his breathing so that he could concentrate it properly, the child then drew back and focused with his hand.

"Please… _please_ … work…" Naruto whispered, clenching one eye shut as he laid all of his hopes on this one move.

His life had just gotten started, and things back home were only just beginning to look up for him. There was no way in hell he was going out as a bloody stain in the middle of some fucking rice paddy in the middle of nowhere! He was going to live! He had to!

Inhaling deeply, the child then cried out as loud as he could and launched the chakra he'd gathered from his hand, firing a disc of blue light downwards, which instantly formed into another portal that opened up to what looked like another set of distant clouds.

He dove right into the middle of the window. The moment his body came out the otherside, the child was surprised to find himself not falling down… but _up_?

Blinking when his momentum slowed and the wind previously rushing passed him stopped, Naruto then gave a yelp of alarm when he unexpectedly started falling backwards. This time he was only airborne for a few seconds before his body slammed into something soft yet hard, which instantly gave way under his weight with an earsplitting _bang._ This was then immediately followed by a dull _thud,_ as whatever he crashed through gave way to another surface. The sudden stoppage to his momentum knocked the wind out of the blonde's lungs in the form of a loud 'oof', which left him lying there on the floor in a daze.

It was only after the blinding light of disorientation left his eyes and the numbness in his body vanished that Naruto soon discovered that he was lying on a pile of hay and straw. Completely at a loss as to what'd actually happened, the youngster looked around a couple of times to see a roof of dry grass hanging several feet above him, with a human-sized hole punched right into the middle of it, giving him a clear view of the blue sky above.

Obviously that was the part of the roof he had smashed through on landing.

As his nerves slowly reconnected with the rest of his body, the child slowly sat up from where he was sprawled out and gasped. Once he was in a somewhat seated position, Naruto quickly registered to the fact that he'd ended up crash-landing inside a stable- with piles of hay lying around him, and two remarkably unsurprised-looking cows eating staring at him from their pen just a few feet away.

When he heard one of the two cattle 'moo' loudly and flick the flies off of its head with its ears, the blond orphan gulped and nodded back to the animal politely. "Umm… how do you do?" he greeted, still not feeling like he was all there, but still conscious enough to remember his manners. Giving a pained groan, Naruto then reached up and massaged his head lightly. "Oh man… that was close. _Too_ close. I almost ended up becoming a pancake in the middle of a random wheat field."

Of course, it was all his fault. Thanks to his stupidity, he'd almost ended up killing himself, just because he decided to charge up a little too much chakra for the portal. Well, if there was anything he could take away from his freefall from near space, it was that he was not going to do something like that ever again. Not until he fully understood the mechanics behind this technique.

He needed to get back to his apartment to read up on this shit, because this was just absolutely unacceptable.

Figuring he could kick himself in the ass after a good soak in the hot springs, Naruto prepared to get up and find his way back home. But just as he was pushing himself to his feet, he stopped abruptly when all of a sudden, he found himself face to tip with over a dozen arrows, all of which were loaded in the bows of a dozen soldiers.

A quick look around allowed Naruto to see that all of the men surrounding him were dressed in green vests with grey armor over white and light purple collared kimono jackets, purple hakama, sandals, and black eboshis. They were also each armed with swords and bows, the latter of which they were currently using to hold the child at point.

Eyes wide in shock at suddenly finding himself being held up by the group of warriors, a now wide-awake Naruto slowly raised his hands and chuckled nervously. "Heh… p-please don't shoot me…"

If he hadn't already pissed himself falling from the heavens back down to earth, then he sure as hell had now. Surprisingly though, his shorts remained completely dry.

One of the men in the formation blinked when he saw exactly who they were aiming at. "A child?"

"No way. He's what crashed into the stables?" another man spoke. "I thought it was a giant orange rock or something. He smashed right through the beam."

"How did he survive?"

"We'll worry about that later," the deep, gruff voice of the leader archer in the formation spoke. This turned out to be a man with a goatee and wearing a pair of thin, square glasses. Withdrawing his weapon while the others around him kept theirs locked onto their adolescent target, the officer turned to his subordinates and nodded. "Let's take him to the High Priestess. She'll know what to do with him."

"H-High Priestess?" Naruto stuttered, watching a couple more guards lower their bows while the majority of them kept them armed. Still unsure of whether he should speak, the terrified youngster looked around at the squad of guards. "Who is that? A-And could you tell me where I am, please?" He'd never seen outfits like the ones these men were wearing. That told the blond right away that he was no longer in Konoha. "I… I think I'm a little lost."

After looking at one another in confusion, as they hadn't expected the child to ask them something like that, one of the armed men with brown hair and blue eyes turned back to the youngster and answered. It was really the only piece of consolation he could offer their unexpected visitor at this time.

"You're in High Priestess Miroku's palace in _Oni no Kuni_ (Land of Demons)." When he saw Naruto's jaw drop, the archer put on a smile. "Welcome."

XXX

(Meanwhile)

(Somewhere in space)

Barren wastelands and dead forests dotted what was once a beautiful landscape from an era that has long since passed. The russet-colored terrain, bathed in the synchrotron radiation of a dying red sun, with thick grey clouds that scattered its rays in the form of multiple auroras and rainbows of light, covered the entire world in a blanket of post-desolation and death. Aside from the mountains and the skeletons of once grand forests, sprouting from the remains of forgotten civilizations were a series of towering shoots of enormous trees- so great that they literally reached up to touch the skies of their alien world.

It was clear that the sands of time had well and truly wilted this shell of a planet down to its most bare minimum of provisions. Though an orchard of massive trees still remained, whatever race that had once dwelt on this world in great numbers had obviously perished long ago, along with the other remnants of natural life. Despite looking as though the four seasons were the main culprits behind the population's extinction, the true cause of it could actually be found in the ruins of a major metropolis, which sat around the ruined stump of an even more immense tree.

Sitting on the edge of a fallen tower overlooking the grove of God Trees dotting the landscape, a lone, diminutive figure with an incredibly pale complexion, white-long hair, and dressed in a nobleman's attire consisting of a white kariginu hunting robe, a transparent hagoromo veil, baggy pants, tengu-geta, and a single black glove over his left hand, could be seen gazing up at the multitude of planets and stars filling the sky.

The dim glow of the planet's poor rays illuminated the man's seemingly delicate features, emphasizing his parted hair, short eyebrows, and a pair of flat, curved horns growing out of his head. It was clear from his calm expression that he was not at all put-off by his surroundings and that he was pretty content with the world currently serving as his crop. Were it not for his extra appendages or unusual complexion, one would almost mistake him to be human.

But, as very few on earth would know, he was far more than that.

While feeling a gentle, warm breeze brush against his cheek from an easterly wind, the man's calm expression suddenly twitched and his eyes glanced over his shoulder sharply. The reason for this subtle break in his composure came from the small ping that had suddenly appeared on his mental radar, which prompted him to narrow his gaze on a distant horizon he could not see. This only seemed to intensify when he sensed the phenomenon vanish moments later, which caused his brain to stir.

A few seconds later, a black void suddenly opened up near the sitting figure, which then expelled a towering, burly male wearing a high-collar blue shirt, grey pants, black flat shoes, and a white robe that covered his bearded face. Just like the smaller individual, the newcomer was also ghostly white in complexion, which was made even more peculiar from the long horn above his left eye.

His feet stomping along the ground as he approached the smaller man's position, the alien being spoke in a deep and gruff voice. "Did you feel that?"

"Yes," the smaller man answered with a stiff nod. "That spike… it did not originate from this sector."

"No," the male with the enormous hands replied. "A different realm- outside of our territory. Roughly three hundred-million clicks off our current axis."

Standing up, the figure in the transparent shawl murmured calmly, "Strange. Whose sector is it?"

"That would be Kaguya's," a new voice suddenly spoke, drawing the pair's attention across the platform to see another black door in space open up. They then watched a new person step onto the scene- a man boasting a thin build, greyish unkempt hair, brown horns growing around from the back of his cranium, and wearing a long-sleeved, white suit, a sectioned apron, sash, and a small gourd on his back. The new arrival smiled lazily as he looked back at his two, pale-skinned brethren, "I traced the spatial anomaly back to her region… a small planet in a solar system near the Andromeda pathway. There's no doubt it's the world she was sent to harvest several centuries back. Apparently the creatures living there are still thriving."

"Impossible," the short man spoke with a frown. "Are you implying that whatever pathetic filth dwelling on that backwater world managed to kill Kaguya?"

The slim newcomer shrugged in a laidback manner and craned his head to the side. "I could be implying a lot of things. But the one thing I know for certain is that somebody very bold and very powerful managed to open a spatial rift in the planet's upper atmosphere… and that we managed to pick up the signature they generated. I gotta admit, it was a real doozy of a reading." He then pivoted about and placed his hands on his waist, where his sash was wrapped tightly around. "What do you say, Momoshiki-senpai? Wanna go check it out?"

While the hulking figure glanced across at the smaller figure, the one identified as the superior out of the trio glared back at the taller newcomer for a few solid seconds. After which his brow furrowed and he glanced in the direction the chakra spike had originated from.

Obviously his curiosity and interest in the matter had been peaked, which led to the man answering with a simple, yet proper response.

"Let's."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So there are a few events transpiring here. Not only has Naruto started to gain some attention from his class for his incredible feats, but the _Naruto Shippuden Movie 1_ storyline featuring Miroku and Shion is crossing over with the Naruto origin story, as well as the Otsutsuki arrival arc.

All of them play into each other and will lead Naruto into a new conflict- one bigger and more involved than he could ever imagine.

From Shion's vision, I wonder if any of you guys can figure out what's going to happen.


	3. Otsutsuki Arc - Celestial Invaders

**Naruto**

 _ **ONI**_

 _Celestial Invaders_

(Sometime later)

The home of the High Priestess of _Oni no Kuni_ (Land of Demons) stood as a beacon for many in the country seeking peace and enlightenment. Primarily serving as a shrine and a sanctuary, the building bore a very oriental temple design, with multiple tori gates surrounding the estate and a defensive wall marking its entire perimeter. The main structure itself- bearing all the attributes of a large mansion or a small palace- stood elevated atop several layers of stone, allowing it to tower over much of the landscape, and could be accessed via a large staircase leading up to the front entrance.

Though the main gates of the mansion stood open to the people of the village surrounding the ornate and gorgeous landmark, the property was still protected by a large army of soldiers. Dressed in armor and robes that separated them from the rest of the armed forces serving under the nation's daimyo, this military group instead swore fealty and service to the woman residing within the temple walls- with each man and woman present having volunteered their lives to protect the priestess. This lent credence to the fact that the maiden was obviously someone who was well-respected and treasured by the citizens of this land, all of whom came to her whenever they were in desperate need of spiritual healing or council.

That being said, the High Priestess was more than happy to accept visitors and pilgrims through her front doors to aid them with their troubles, which was made even more evident by the meeting that was currently unfolding in the temple's main hall.

While the building itself served exclusively as the residence for the spiritual leader of the people, the place was also constructed to receive civilians and business. Passed the spiritual ornamentation and traditional oriental decorations making up the main corridor through the palace, at the back of the building sat an enormous audience chamber. The ceiling of this room was held up by large standing pillars and a framework consisting of hard, smoothly carved oak and mahogany, with the chamber itself sitting as a perfect example of spiritual balance and tranquility. This was made even more so by the fact that the back of the room where the priestess's podium was built opened up to a large balcony overlooking a cliff-face, with a large waterfall running down the side into a lush garden below.

There was also a cleansing pool situated at the base of the cliff, which the High Priestess would use to take meditative baths. Charming as exterior designs went.

However, the client that the mistress of these lands Miroku was meeting with today had somewhat of a different opinion to add. It was also a person she'd hired especially to see to about some important matters regarding her estate's appearance.

"So… do you think you'll be able to design a suitable fruit and vegetable greenhouse for the soldiers residing in the temple barracks?" the dark-haired woman in the ornate blue kimono robes asked as she stared across at the man kneeling before her on the hall's floor in front of her throne. "After taking a good look around at the grounds, were you able to find an appropriate spot to construct the building, Daiki-san?"

"Yes, Miroku-sama. I was," the middle-aged merchant in the green tunic, pants, and carrying an art kit on his belt replied with a nod. Smiling beneath his tasteful mustache and goatee, the brown haired designer beamed up at the High Priestess, who he noticed was sitting seiza-style upon the cushions just a few feet away from him, flanked by a couple of her most trusted bodyguards. "The temple grounds has plenty of free space to support a variety of extra essential and non-essential buildings. A greenhouse beside the main barracks on the East side of the property would be an excellent addition to the property… and add a bit of modern elegance to the overall façade without compromising the palace's historical appeal. For that I have no doubt."

A smile broke out on Miroku's face, who tipped her head to the contractor in understanding. "I'm glad to hear this. The men and women assigned to my personal detail have been working so hard these past few years, I figured a few more additions to the property will make their service here a little bit more enjoyable. They already have a garden, a mess hall, and a club situated around their living quarters… but I know there is plenty more room for improvement." She then lifted a hand to the architect. "Bear in mind that coin is no object for me."

"I understand, ma'am. I will do my best to make good use of your home's grounds, and make the palace and property many times more functional than it is," the architect Daiki replied, a delighted gleam visible in his eye as he did so. "And may I also say that… it is a real honor to be working for you… and that I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. After my last big project, I'm really looking forward to expanding my knowledge, and adding some brand new, innovative ideas and concepts to my artistic pallet."

"Oh yes," Miroku chirped with a bright smile, "I read about your last design. You built that big, concave glass hotel on _Tsuki no Kuni_ (Land of the Moon) at the request of King Kakeru Tsuki. I have to say, it was a really beautiful and elegant construction. Nothing like anything I'd ever seen before. But-"

"It ended up melting a few buildings on the other side of the street," Daiki responded dryly and affirmatively, at the same time maintaining a very calm exterior. "An incredibly common problem associated with modern day architecture. You'd be surprised how often something like that happens. I mean, what architect in the history of the world hasn't made a major design flaw that raised the temperature of _Tsuki no Kuni's_ city aquarium to a hundred and ninety degrees and… killed thousands of very rare fish?" His little laugh at the end had Miroku blink and the guards next to her look at him strangely, especially when his voice seemed to break from momentary awkwardness. "That's all in the past. I'm looking forward now… and I have a feeling that the work I will do for you will usher in my greatest creations yet."

After processing what was said to her, the briefly concerned looking priestess once again put on a sincere smile and bowed to the merchant. "I wish you the best of luck… and look forward to your concepts with open arms." Though on the outside she appeared perfectly fine, on the inside she couldn't help but think for a moment whether she'd made some kind of grievous error hiring this bloke. Even her bodyguards had worried looks on their faces as they stood there listening to the architect's background experience and history.

Miroku's foresight was phenomenal after all. But hey, it wasn't perfect.

Upon giving a humble bow to the priestess, the incredibly enthusiastic Daiki stood up, turned around, and departed from the chamber with a noticably large spring in his step. Just as the man stepped through the double-doors on the other side of the hall, another group of guards came marching past him in a tight formation, all of them surrounding a young child with spiky blond hair and whiskers on his cheeks. The group barely paid any notice to the departing guest, all of whom made a straight line right up to the podium where the priestess was sitting.

When they stopped in the space before her, the guards stood at attention while their prisoner- whose wrists were bound in rope- simply stood there with his head lowered and looking up at the palace's owner with a worried expression on his face.

Miroku meanwhile gazed down at her next visitor with curiosity.

"Now who exactly might this be?" the High Priestess inquired from her place on her sitting cushion.

The guard on the right side of the square- a man with a goatee and officer's insignia on his vest- stepped forward and gestured back to the boy. "We found this lad lying inside the stables beside your palace, Miroku-sama. Though we have no idea how he managed to get past the walls, the guards walking around the area claimed they saw his body fall out of the sky and crash through the barn's roof." The lieutenant reached behind him and drew the axe that was hanging from his belt- the same one that was Naruto's. "He was carrying _this_."

Upon processing the information given to her and considering the weapon also presented, Miroku glanced back at the jinchuriki curiously. "Well now… after all the things I've seen and heard in my life, I thought there wouldn't be anything left out there that could surprise me. But children falling out of the sky?" Just saying it out loud had the blonde woman giggle into her palm. "What an interesting and peculiar phenomenon. Must be a new type of weather we're having this season."

In looking up at the person sitting before him, Naruto saw for himself that the matriarch wasn't as scary or intimidating as most other rulers were made out to him back home. In fact she was quite the opposite. The woman sitting in front of him was a young female in her late twenties, with long, dark grey hair that reflected the light, smooth ivory skin, and a fair face framed by bright purple eyes. Her outfit consisted of a blue ornate kimono and pants similar to that of a shrine maiden, with golden trimmings, and a gold tiara sitting atop her crown. The latter seemed to hold her hair back into a ponytail, making visibility easier for her, and also set two long bangs on either side of her gorgeous visage.

She was nothing like the Third Hokage or the Fire Daimyo- who were faces Naruto had studied well back at school. But it was clear she was a true leader. The airs floating about her said it all.

Lowering the weapon to his side but still clutching it firmly, the officer continued with his report. "The youngster was in a bit of a daze when we found him… and he had no idea where he was or how he got there. When we asked him what he was doing, he said the last thing he remembered was practicing some strange kind of ninjutsu that teleported him into the sky. That's where he fell from."

"Hmm…" The still smiling and obviously amused Miroku glanced towards her guard, "What do you think of this, Yuto?"

"Truthfully, Miroku-sama… I find his story to be a little too farfetched for my liking," the man answered sternly, at the same time turning to glance down at the boy. "If I had to guess, I would say he's lying."

Naruto, being who he was, quickly took offense to this and scowled back at the officer. "I'm not lying! Why the heck would I lie about something like this, dattebayo?!" When he attempt to stomp forward, the other guard in front of him stopped him by holding his arm across his chest. "Everything I told you was the truth! I was practicing a new jutsu out in the park near my home and I accidentally opened up a teleportation seal under me. The next thing I know, I'm falling through the clouds five-thousand feet above the planet, screaming my head off!"

"In my experience as a soldier, I have never seen or heard of a fuinjutsu technique that can allow a person to literally open up a hole in space and time or teleport people across the planet," the lieutenant replied, shooting his own glare down at the child so as to further cement his statements. " _Summoning Seals_ and _Storage Units_ are one thing… but seals that can be created in midair, as well as open gateways across matter and dimensions? That kind of ability is completely incomprehensible, and defies all logic and common sense."

"Ninjutsu doesn't have to make sense! Anyone can do anything with it if they are trained right!" Naruto shouted angrily, completely ignoring the fact that he was being held prisoner by a group of armed warriors inside a palace in a land beyond his own. "Being able to do incredible, even impossible things, is what being a shinobi from my village is about! It's what we study our entire lives to do, which is something I think you should do more of! Because you're an idiot!"

"Mind your tongue, boy," the guard shot back loudly, at the same time brandishing the boy's axe at him. "In your land, it may be normal for children to be brash and insubordinate to their elders. But in this place, things are different." The man then gestured to the woman who was listening patiently up on the podium. "You are standing in the presence of her enlightened and illustrious highness, High Priestess Miroku of the _Land of Demons_ \- slayer of all evils nefarious, and the guiding light and voice of wisdom to the people in these lands. To simply be granted an audience with her and bask in her air, is like being in the company of the Gods themselves… so watch what you say or pay dearly for it."

As much as Naruto wanted to continue arguing and fighting with the officer, after taking a few deep breaths and carefully considering the young woman sitting before him- who was eyeing his actions with a very intent gaze- the child wisely decided to stand down. Not only was it bad manners on his part to get into a fight in front of a person who he was not only high-ranking, but also generous and kindhearted, reflected poorly on his character. That was something he was going to have to rely on if he had a hope in hell of getting out of his current situation and getting back home.

Once the argument between Naruto and her lieutenant had died down, Miroku then did one last study of the whiskered-child before speaking up again. With her hands folded gracefully on her lap and her gaze remaining soft, the priestess began her questions in earnest. "What is your name, young man?"

Shaking himself out of his daze, the child in the orange vest lowered his head meekly. "Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Naruto? A lovely name," the woman replied while tilting her head. "And which village do you hail from, Naruto-kun? Judging from your story and your attire, I can venture a guess that you did not come from any town from within this country."

The child shook his head. "No, ma'am. My home is in _Konohagakure_ in the middle of the _Land of Fire_. I was born and raised there."

Miroku blinked, "The Hidden Leaf Village?"

"But… that place is over four-hundred miles away," one of the soldiers in the formation said while looking down at the kid. "We're closer to _Sunagakure_ than _Konohagakure_. And even then the Hidden Sand is many leagues away from here."

"How did you wind up all the way out here?" Miroku asked, finding the child's situation quite baffling. She knew full well how far away Konoha was from them- having made dealings with that village in the past. So having one of its citizens- a child no less- inadvertently appearing in her compound out of nowhere, was quite a perplexing development.

Exhaling, the blonde orphan shrugged. "It's like I said. I was training in a park near my apartment and ended up teleporting myself into the sky." He then gave the woman his most serious face he could muster and repeated once more the improbable events leading up to his present whereabouts. "I started falling. After I calmed down, I opened up another portal, fell through it, and crashed into your stables. That's what happened."

Miroku blinked as she gazed at the child, studying his face carefully in order to assess for herself whether his words held real weight to them. When she looked into his unwavering gaze and cool blue eyes, and saw the child's soul staring right back at her, the woman nodded and looked at her guards. "I believe him."

"B-But Miroku-sama…" the officer stuttered, only to stop when he saw the High Priestess hold her hand up.

"Whether the rest of you believe him or not, it doesn't matter. What matters is that even though this boy entered the palace grounds by accident and without authorization, I am certain he did not come here with the intent to cause any harm," Miroku informed, at the same time putting on another smile when her eyes turned to the startled youngster. "Though I'm sure Lulu, Betsy and the other cows got a bit of a scare when he dropped in on them, the only thing that got damaged was the stable roof."

" _Not to mention my back,"_ Naruto groaned to himself while wiggling about on the spot. _"Ow. I think I may have bruised my ribs as well."_

"Which is something we need to replace right away," one of the guards behind Naruto spoke, stepping out of the square to face the priestess properly. "The ceiling's support beam's snapped in half, the main T-section along the frame is cracked, and the tiles around the hole are smashed as well. That's not even counting the dry grass stuffing that needs refilling."

"We need to tend to all of that as soon as possible. Because if the palace is suddenly hit by a light shower or a storm, the entire barn is going to end up flooded," the female guard next to him also chimed in. "The feed for the cows will also be ruined."

Miroku nodded in understanding, "Very well. One of the squads in the barracks should be able to take care of it." She then turned to the lieutenant inquisitively. "Which platoon hasn't filled in their weekly quota yet?"

As the guards and the priestess began discussing over their options, a now slightly more at ease Naruto used that moment to consider his thoughts and work out what he was going to do next. But just before he could really begin weeding through the thicket of his brain for a solution to his problem, he was then distracted by something appearing out of the corner of his eye. Looking between the two guards on his right towards one of the hall's many large pillars, the youngster received a bit of a surprise when he saw a head poking out from behind it, and a pair of glowing purple eyes staring right back at him.

Upon closer inspection of the person the eyes belonged to, Naruto saw that the perpetrator was a little girl around the same age as him, with long blonde hair tied into a pony tail, pale skin, and was wearing a yellow kimono top and khaki pants. Judging from their rounded face and their prevailing feminine features, the jinchuriki quickly assessed the child was a young girl, and that she'd taken a bit of an interest in what was going on in the hall.

Almost a few seconds after looking at her, the surprised boy from Konoha saw the blonde girl gasp and duck behind the pillar out of sight. Moments later, Naruto watched the same girl peer out from behind the column to stare at him again, her hand creeping into view to tentatively rest against its side. When their eyes met, the jinchuriki decided to seize that moment and, with a pleasant smile, waved back at her with his tied-up hands.

For the second time in a row the girl gave a startled- yet quiet- exclamation and ducked out of sight. This time though she ran from the room, leaving via a side entrance that Naruto could not see. Her actions confused the boy somewhat, but was a reaction that he wasn't given any time to dwell on, as his attention was suddenly brought back around to the High Priestess.

"Lieutenant. Could you please untie the boy's hands," Miroku asked, her command immediately being followed by the officer guard stepping towards Naruto and undoing the temporary cuffs binding his arms. The moment she saw the boy shake his hands free and massage his wrists, the priestess beamed pleasantly. "I will have one of the guards from my personal detail escort you back to your village at noon tomorrow. Since the journey to the Land of Fire will take a few days to complete, it will take some time to gather all the necessary supplies for the trip, as well as assemble a horse and cart from the stables."

The woman's statement that she would be sending him back home caused a wave of relief to wash over the foreign youngster, who then expressed his gratitude with a joyous smile. "Thank you, ma'am. I… I'm very grateful for your help."

"It's my pleasure," Miroku responded courteously, before then giving the boy a curious gaze. "While you are waiting for the caravan to be ready, would you be kind enough to fulfil a small request for me?" she asked, drawing a surprised glance from Naruto. "Since you look like a strong and hardworking young man, I don't think it should be too much of an effort."

"Yeah. S-Sure. No problem," the startled child nodded, not really expecting to hear much from the priestess, but at the same time feeling as though a rather difficult task was lying just around the corner.

By this point Naruto was starting to look out for unexpected and potentially nasty surprises, if his most recent experience could attest…

OOO

(A few hours later)

(Elsewhere)

To most of the people of Earth, the moon orbiting around their planet has been a constant for their world since time immemorial. This was the case for most of the universes across the greater multisphere, as it presented a sense of wonder and mystery for all those ignorant of its true origins.

Simply watching the celestial body rise and fall with every fall of night was truly a spectacle to behold, especially during the times the sphere was at full glow. Sometimes it was blue, sometimes it was red, and sometimes it just wasn't all there. But for the most part, everyone recognized the moon as yellow- a bright glowing ball of ethereal light that lit up the veil of night and shone away the darkness. Due to its constant presence orbiting the space above the planet, in the past several centuries the satellite had become a subject of various myths and legends across multiple cultures, adding a bit of mysticism to an otherwise simple body of rock.

What few people realized however, was that the moon- while seemingly bleak and lifeless- was actually inhabited by a community of people.

And it wasn't just any group either.

Having been relegated to the subtexts of ancient history, to the point their past activities and involvement with the denizens of Earth have become nothing more than mere folklore, the pale-skinned, white-haired members of the Otsutsuki Clan- descendants of Kaguya Otsutsuki, the legendary Rabid Goddess herself- had made a home of this inhospitable globe. Having isolated themselves here centuries ago after the chaotic schisms that'd shaken the Earth during the time of their matriarch's reign, the survivors had assigned themselves the task to watch over the world and its people.

Of course, this had been a very long time ago, and ever since Kaguya's second son had established a colony atop this sphere, various conflicts and problems had plagued the Otsutsuki Clan residing there. Now there were only a few of them left- the entirety of which had found itself gathered on the surface of the ball overlooking the Earth, and had assembled itself into an obvious military-like fashion.

Eyes closed and white robes catching on whatever forces were being generated by the vacuum above them, the members of the Otsutsuki Clan numbering at around twenty men and women- with only a single child among them- stood with their closed eyes "looking" up into the space above them. The elder of the clan, a man with white, spiky hair and a beard- and the father of the young boy standing beside him- had taken up position at the front of the crowd.

The reason for this assemblage soon revealed itself in the form of three imposing figures floating in the air above them- the same three people from the destroyed world billions of lightyears away.

While the slim, laidback one hovered in a sitting position with a smug smile on his face and what looked like a glowing red rod propped over his shoulders, the smallest of the trio in the veil was sitting on the extended arm of his enormous, hulking colleague, who didn't seem to mind having his limb used as a temporary seat.

Once they were certain they had the attention of every single person below, the three intergalactic travelers slowly descended upon them. Sensing their approach, the head of the moon's Otsutsuki Clan stepped forward and bowed low to the visitors. This humble action was copied by every other person present behind him.

"You have finally appeared to us, Celestial Lords," the Otsutsuki elder spoke, low and timid. "Welcome to our humble home." Though he could not see the beings that were visiting them, he could clearly sense them…

And they were powerful. To an ungodly degree.

"Hmm," the little one spoke from his perch on his large compatriot's arm, with a stoic and unamused expression in play as he looked down at the group of people standing on the moon's surface. "I'm guessing you must be the last surviving remnants of the Otsutsuki Clan who came to this world with Kaguya over a millennia ago. The _branch_ line of the family if your physical traits and appearances are anything to go by… and the ones charged with overseeing the sacred Energy Vessel, the _Tenseigan_."

Hearing the smallest one speak, the elder of the moon community straightened up and addressed the trio of visitors once more. "What brings you three to our realm today? What is it that you seek?"

The question had the man with the red energy rod smile. "We detected an enormous chakra spike originating from this quadrant. Apparently the echo was generated by a spatial disruption caused by an opening of a wormhole at high planetary altitude. When we traced its source, it led us here."

"A… spatial disruption?" the white-haired elder repeated, the news also causing the rest of his people behind him to look at one another in confusion.

"Yes. It was an incredibly large distortion. We deduced it belonged to a being possessing incredible chakra reserves and power, and initially believed it came from a member of our clan," the slender Urashiki continued.

"Only a celestial being has ever generated an energy signature that strong before… and from such a great distance," Momoshiki added, continuing to maintain his sitting position atop his colleague's limb. "We almost mistook it for one from the main family."

"But after a quick investigation of the area, we quickly discovered that this was apparently not the case, and that the chakra surge had in fact originated from a lower lifeform on the planet behind us," Urashiki concluded, his expression darkening and smile widening as a result. "To be frank, we find this anomaly to be incredibly perplexing. Care to elaborate for us?"

It was then the leader of the moon's settlement took a steady breath and, upon placing his hand over his chest, lowered his head once again. "Forgive me, my lords, but I'm afraid I don't understand what-"

"Spare us the formalities, branch family patriarch," Momoshiki suddenly spoke up with a snap, causing the group below to stiffen at the increase in his volume and tone. "Though you possess knowledge of our existence and express reverence to our sacred lineage, you're apparently still ignorant of our clan's sacred laws." The seemingly young looking male then lifted his head as he proceeded to speak down to the people standing on the moon. "Your predecessors were sent to this region for _one_ reason and _**one**_ reason only: to study and nurture the chakra fruits born from the _Shinju_ that'd appeared on this world. Should the region's abnormal space curvature remain consistent and the planet in question yield sufficient resources that would allow for ongoing successful harvests of the chakra fruit, then you were to report back to the main family with your findings without delay."

"However, not only did Kaguya and your ancestors fail to follow-through with any of these instructions, the matriarch took it upon herself to horde the chakra fruit all for herself and use its powers to achieve her own selfish ends," the hulking being in the hooded kimono spoke up, his deep voice causing the tension in the area to heighten even more and the group down below to take a weary step back.

Judging from the tones of the voices being used to address them, it was obvious that neither of these three revered visitors were happy.

After a moment of allowing the information to dwell over the frightened members of the branch family, Urashiki breathed a heavy sigh and shook his head, "Kaguya-chan always was a rebellious, spoiled little brat. I can't help but wonder why we even sent her out to this region to begin with."

"Yes. And to make matters worse, not only did she decide to go down her own insubordinate path, but she also allowed herself to be overwhelmed and destroyed by the spawn of her own making," Momoshiki added, causing the people below to shudder at his obvious impatience. When a fierce wind from the vacuum above them kicked up and caused the trio's robes to ruffle on the breeze, the white-haired man in the veil inhaled deeply. "Don't think us ignorant. We know of the events that transpired here."

"Before coming to you, the three of us took a quick detour and investigated the ruined Otsutsuki temples and outposts littering this sector," Urashiki informed, at the same time lifting his head as his hands continued to hang from the glowing rod resting over his neck and shoulders. "Apparently Kaguya sired a pair of offspring with one of the lower lifeforms on that planet, and inadvertently passed the chakra she'd consumed from the _Shinju_ on to them. When they defeated her and cast her remains across the world when she attempted to reclaim that chakra, one of her children stayed behind on the planet to spread the chakra's influence to the population, while the other came here with both of the Otsutsuki's main and branch families, and established a colony to protect this sector." This information not only startled the people below, but also caused the celestial being's eyes to narrow. "And now we are here."

"So not only did Kaguya betray her clan by failing to report in and take the fruit of the _Shinju_ all for herself, she also mated with a lower being and had children with him. This is an offense that we will not let stand," Momoshiki informed, causing the clan below to clamor nervously.

The child standing at the head of the crowd stepped towards his father and gripped hold of the man's robe. "O-Oto-san…" Toneri whispered, earning a gentle and reassuring pat on the head from the elder.

After a tense moment of silence and watching the families down below shuffle about fearfully, the veil-wearing Momoshiki once again spoke up. "We will forgive the Otsutsuki branch family for its past failures and oversights. Not only did you successfully eliminate the insubordinate main family that came here under the leadership of Kaguya's spawn, but you've also been plotting to destroy the world created by her offspring."

"Consider yourselves fortunate that you misinterpreted your ancestor's decree, otherwise all of you would be dead right now," Urashiki added at the end, causing all of the people down below to start whispering to each other in panic.

They misinterpreted their patriarch's decree? How? That didn't seem possible? _"Didn't Hamura-sama wish for the earthlings to be destroyed as punishment for abusing his brother's teachings? Were we… were we wrong about his final commands this whole time?"_ the moon colony's elder thought to himself while thinking back to what his father had told him.

Unfortunately the family wasn't able to dwell on this information for long, as Momoshiki had begun to speak again. "The destruction of this world and its crop is not something that we wish to happen. After all, this planet is rife with conflict and chaos, and possesses an incredible well of power far above the standard energy curvature of other planets. Since Kaguya and her fellow pathfinders ultimately failed in their mission, the three of us have come here to personally rectify the situation," Momoshiki stated, at the same time narrowing his eyes and ire on the family below. "You are lucky that Raikou-sama or Kiyo-sama did not come here with _their_ entourages… because those two would not be so forgiving."

Urashiki shrugged, "Well… one of them can be reasoned with. The other… not so much."

It was then the elder of the Otsutsuki's moon clan stepped forward with his hands extending. "B-But, my lords, we-"

"Silence," Momoshiki interjected, causing the man to stop dead in his tracks. "You are speaking to a high-ranking member from the main family. _Do not_ test my patience." He then stood up on his compatriot's arm and glared down at the moon's population before him. When he saw the elder bow, the white-haired intergalactic traveler nodded. "Though you may have cleansed the Otsutsuki clan of bad blood and pacified any further thoughts of betrayal and insurrection amongst your ranks, that doesn't mean your sins have been entirely forgiven."

"However, what remains of your once great family can still be of use to us," the hulking form of Kinshiki concluded. "You can start by lending us any and all knowledge you have of the lower lifeforms residing on the world below. If the people there were capable of inheriting and mastering control of the chakra gifted to them from the great tree, then all of them must possess varying levels of strength and vitality."

Upon hearing his companion finish his assessment, Momoshiki decided to move on with business. "Does your home have a fully-functioning library?"

While his son stood behind him, the elder at the front of the crowd nodded, "Y-Yes."

"Allow me to take a closer look at your records… and any scrolls left behind by your predecessors upon their arrival here," Momoshiki ordered, hopping off of Kinshiki's arm and gracefully floating down to the moon's surface. When his toes touched down on the grey surface seconds later, and caused a cloud of dust to billow about him, the shortest of the celestial beings smirked across at the intimidated Otsutsuki members and said in a dangerous-sounding voice, "Once our business on this ball of dust is concluded… the three of us will head down to Earth to find Kaguya's missing legacy."

By that, he actually meant the source of that enormous chakra spike they felt earlier.

OOO

(Back on Earth)

(Afternoon)

As it turns out, when a person is inadvertently teleported across time and space, dropped from a height of approximately twenty miles above the planet's surface, and sent crashing through the roof of a High Priestess's palace stable, that person is henceforth legally obligated to help repair the owner's property in any way, shape, and form that they could. For Naruto, this meant standing at the base of a wooden ladder and helping the soldiers working around the damaged area carry building supplies to and from the location in question. That was pretty much the clay and mortar of the child's present situation and had been for the last couple of hours.

Ordinarily when a person is caught intruding upon a lord's property, they would immediately be sent to the stockade or the brig for further questioning by the security personnel on duty. In this case however, the blond youngster from _Konohagakure_ had been fortunate enough to forgo any of these proceedings, and was given his sentence by the judge right away. However, unlike most other cases, Miroku didn't give Naruto his current task as a sort of punishment, but more of a way for him to help fix the damage he'd done by accident. And the good thing was he wasn't being put in charge of the repairs.

The majority of the heavy-lifting had been given to the soldiers of the barracks, with the world renowned and recently employed architect Daiki also being assigned to the scene to oversee the stable's re-beautification.

"No, no, no. Didn't you hear what I said? We need _red oak_ for the timber! Not _pine wood_! Pine wood is too coarse and brittle for this kind of construction, especially for a structure fashioned entirely out of cedar. It also detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the interior. Polished, refined red oak is the material we need to patch up this frame so that it can support the weight of the roof," the man said loudly, at the same time pointing at the two soldiers who had brought the supplies over to the work site in a hand-drawn cart. "Take that load back to the lumberjacks and ask them to restock it with thirty half-cut logs of red oak. Pronto!"

The male and female guards that'd been tasked with fetching the gear frowned back at the architect in annoyance, while at the same time thinking in unison, _"Why didn't you just say so to start with?"_

Artistic ego. That was probably why they were struggling to complete any of the instructions they were being given, because the director wasn't being specific with what he wanted. Plus his mental list of tools and ideas were constantly changing, which meant they were doing double the travel.

Naruto on the other hand was enjoying being a runner and worker alongside these soldiers. Not only was he in good, strong and reliable company, but he was also learning a lot of useful skills on the job. This included fetching gear, learning the names of the different types of tools used for building, and observing how these devices were applied in the field. To get a closer look at what one of the guards was doing to repair the railing inside the stables, the child entered the barn and observed the man as he repaired the damaged beams.

"So… to fix up cracks in the wood, all you need to do is paint tree sap over it?" Naruto asked inquisitively, while standing at the base of the ladder and looking up at the guard working the barn's rafters.

The soldier with the light stubble smiled as he looked down at the blond youngster. "Uh-huh. For cosmetic damage like this, just coat the surface area of the timber with a layer of sap and fill in all the holes that you can see. Sap and wood come hand-in-hand together, and applying a natural remedy to this kind of situation is far better and much cheaper than taking out and replacing the entire frame." He then dipped his brush back into the bucket before pointing to the large hole above him. "That section though is going to need a complete refitting."

Blinking as he looked across at the snapped frame, the child then glanced back at the worker. "How do you plan to fix a hole that big?"

"Simple. All we need is a plane of new bamboo netting for the straw to sit on, a new set of tiles for the roof, and bolts to fix the new beam into the rafters," the kindly guard replied. Stopping his painting for a moment, he then turned to the boy and beamed at him. "Once the logs and other supplies arrive from the lumberjack, I'll show you how we're going to attach them."

All in all, Naruto was kept busy and interested all throughout the operation. Perhaps it was the fact that he'd never been part of a fixing crew or any kind of team before that he was expressing such curiosity and enthusiasm in the area. Learning skills like the ones they were showing him first hand seemed like something he could really use in the future, which encouraged him to partake in as much of the repairs as he could. Though he was the one responsible for causing the damage in the first place after his misguided fall, the soldiers on duty were more than happy to accommodate him.

It also helped a great deal that he was no longer being treated as a prisoner by them, but in fact a guest of the High Priestess. Naruto made sure to remind himself to thank the woman for her hospitality before he headed back to the _Hidden Leaf_ tomorrow.

After the rest of the building supplies finally arrived at the repair site, work on restoring the damaged construct started moving along at a much faster and satisfying pace. As the soldiers-slash-workers went about completing their individual jobs under the watch of their temporary site manager, Daiki, little by little they were able to watch as the hole in the barn's ceiling was slowly sealed up, and the ruined sections of the structure were properly mended. The job itself wasn't an overly complicated one, but that didn't mean there wasn't a lot of stuff for the soldiers to do. Equal division of labor was one of the keys to a productive system.

By the time evening started to come around and the sun begun dipping towards the horizon, Naruto's assistance at the stables no longer became necessary. After the soldiers returned the orphan's hatchet to him and dismissed him for the day, the blond decided to use his last hours of daylight exploring the temple and the surrounding village. Starting off on the sprawling estate, the child went about admiring the various buildings, statues and tori arranged around the central palace, where he was not only able to get an accurate lay of the land, but experience the rich culture and diversity the country's most spiritual site had to offer. He even paid a small tribute to the shrines around the back of the main structure, which allowed him to take some weight off his chest and speak to the spirits about his parents.

Whether they were listening to him or not Naruto didn't mind. He just wanted to let them know that he was doing okay- that he was happy, healthy, eating well, sleeping well, and that his life in _Konohagakure_ was starting to look up a little. Simply saying all of this in the privacy of the altar made him feel less anxious about his place in society, and a little lighter on the heart.

After saying his peace and letting the Gods know of his circumstances, the youngster then went out into the village outside the gates. Passing through the threshold, Naruto began roaming the streets of the bustling little community sitting in the shadow of the large temple. On the main strip he saw lots of things he would normally see in the Hidden Leaf, including bars, clubs, stalls, and restaurants. This also included a few other new places, such as souvenir stores selling unique goods and items from the local area, talisman shops, a little distillery, and a range of other non-essential businesses focusing on the weird and the mystic.

Wanting to grab something to commemorate this unexpected little side-quest to the country, Naruto bought himself a couple of little totems and charms, which he planned on placing around his bedroom window. He wanted to be able to boost his luck a little, so any little trinket he could get that would aid him in this area would be a real win on his end.

The souvenirs also looked really cool, so Naruto didn't have any problems with buying what he did.

After sealing up the objects he had bought into the circles on his jacket sleeve, Naruto decided to grab an early dinner before heading back to the temple and to the room that Miroku had offered him to stay for the night. His body hankering for a good bowl of udon, the child then headed down the main strip in the direction of one of the small bars he spotted tucked away on one of the side streets.

While he was passing by one of the parks however, the whiskered-youngster then jumped back a little when a group of kids around his age suddenly blitzed past him. He was so startled by the speed that they were running that the orphan from the Hidden Leaf barely caught the panicked exclamations that came barreling out of the group's mouths.

"Quick. Quick!"

"Don't look. Just run," one of the girls said in a frightened yet hushed voice.

"Hurry. Before she curses you," another boy hissed.

"That girl is nothing but bad luck."

"You'll die if you stay here."

These were only a few of the things Naruto heard, and they all came in at a spitfire rate before the group of about eight children vanished down the road. When he looked down the dirt road where they'd come from and saw a playground area enclosed by a line of trees, the blond gave a blink of surprise when he saw that the entire area had been completely cleared of children. The kids had been so quick in clearing out of the area that they'd left the ball that they were playing with behind, as well as a doll, making it look as though they'd all been raptured- save for one.

That one just happened to be the same blonde haired girl Naruto had seen back in the temple, standing in the middle of the park looking down at her feet. From the way her shoulders were shaking and her face was twisted into one of hurt, it was clear that she was doing her best to stop herself from crying. This much was obvious when she kicked at the ground, turned around, and started to shuffle away.

Not really knowing what was going on but seeing that the girl was obviously upset, Naruto quickly and instinctively resolved to do something. After all, he knew better than anyone what it was like to have people run away from him, as well as have entire groups of people exclude him from their circles and activities. So, doing the first thing that came to his head, the blond jogged to the playground, stopped, and picked up the ball.

"Hey!" he called out, causing the girl that was walking away to turn around. When he saw her look at him, the child then threw the ball at her with an under-armed throw. The jinchuriki then watched the give a startled yelp and clumsily catch the ball, which then allowed Naruto to ask his question. "Do you want to play?"

At first the blond girl in the kimono didn't know what to say. Looking between the kickball she was holding and the boy smiling at her, it took roughly several seconds for the youngster's brain to rev back to life. When it did, the teary-eyed child broke out the warmest and happiest of smiles, upon which she then gave a nod and threw the ball back towards the boy. "Ayy!"

Seeing the ball flying towards him, a grinning Naruto then crouched down and intercepted the sphere with his head. Bouncing the ball straight up, the child then leant back and caught it on his foot. Wanting to show off a little, he juggled the ball on his foot and knee repeatedly, wowing the girl at his display. After which he then lightly kicked it back towards her.

The girl then caught it again, giggling in delight before dropping it and kicking it off of her foot back towards the boy. From there, the pair proceeded to toss and kick the ball between each other across the empty playground, moving round in circles as their laughter filled the area.

This small, precious moment was one that many would've seen plenty of times before. Yet this fact did not detract at all from the significance that it had for the two children. For the first time in the girl's life, a boy her age had asked her to play with him, and join in a game that she'd seen heaps of other children play in the park every time she left her compound. In a way, this was a first for Naruto as well, as not only was he playing ball with a child from another village, but she'd also agreed to play with him after only asking her once.

As far as he could remember, no one had ever been so receptive to any one of his requests and, determined to make this moment last as long as he could, Naruto seized the opportunity and went at it with all the sensibility and compassion he could muster.

The act of playing had the children's hearts soaring, to the point that they felt like shedding tears of joy. But not wanting to scare off the person they were playing with by seeming weird in any way, the pair held back their emotions and carried on gleefully with their game.

At one point Naruto managed to stop the ball on his chest and catch it on his knee. From there he proceeded to juggle it repeatedly, while shouting 'hup-hup-hup-hup' over and over. His little performance had the nearby girl laughing and clapping her hands in time with his dance, egging the boy on.

"Go, go, go!" the blonde girl sung, watching Naruto drop the ball to his foot and balance it while on one leg.

Arms out as his body swayed a little, the orphan in the wind-breaker grinned at the girl. "And now, for my next trick… the _around the world_!" He then kicked the ball up, spun his leg around it while it was airborne, and dropped it onto his leg. However, getting a little bit too cocky, Naruto ended up mistiming his second set, which ended in him kicking the ball into his own face. "GAK!" the child shouted when the ball bounced off of his nose and he ended up falling onto his backside.

Gasping in alarm, the pink-eyed girl rushed over to the fallen youngster, who she could see was rubbing his face with his hand. "Ah! A-Are you alright?" she asked, crouching down next to him.

When Naruto moved his hand away and checked to see if there was any blood, he then turned to the girl and grinned at her through his bruised mug. He then started snickering, which slowly led into full-blown laughter. The moment he started, the girl tried her best to contain her giggles, which ended in her snorting into her hand. After that she too started laughing with the youngster at how their game had turned out.

For the next hour after that, the duo continued to play. Dispensing with the kick ball, both Naruto and his newfound friend had a game of hide-and-seek on the playground, which quickly devolved into a game of tag. Not only ducking through the hanging bars and the climbing sets to evade one another, the pair also took their game to the trees nearby. It ended with the girl being declared the winner and the two eventually going on the seesaw together.

Though both children were incredibly smart and intelligent for their age, they were both still kids. That meant even the simplest activities, especially ones they never got the chance to share with anybody else, proved to be the most fun for the both of them.

When their games eventually led to the swing set and the two of them spent a few minutes on it, Naruto then decided to show off a few more of his skills. He did this by summoning a couple of shuriken from the seal inside his jacket's sleeve. When he rolled it up, he then began showing her the quick-draw technique for the ninja stars, first by positioning them between his fingers. Rolling his hands to the side and extending his digits, he caused the shuriken to vanish. After rotating his arm about and showing the girl on the swing that they were indeed gone, he then flicked his hand out and made _four_ shuriken reappear in his grip, as opposed to the former two.

"Well? Whatcha think?" Naruto asked, standing there looking proud while looking at his companion with a grin.

From the way her wide eyes were shimmering, it was clear the blonde was impressed. "That's so cool." The sight of his sleight-of-hand technique had the girl blink in amazement, as she proceeded to watch the boy skillfully hide the weapons before redrawing them repeatedly- all in different positions between his fingers.

After a couple of minutes of showing her the different ways he could load up the blades, Naruto then capped off his performance by drawing the four shuriken one last time, and throwing them at a distance tree. The pair watched as all four of the weapons struck the trunk in an adequate diamond formation, causing four 'thumps' to ring out one after the other. Had this been a test back at the academy, Naruto was positive he would've hit the dummy around the center mass. Despite the spacing being too wide for his liking however, the girl nonetheless applauded his display.

A growl from their stomachs soon told the duo that it was getting very close to dinner. So, with the sun setting behind them, Naruto collected his shuriken, left the ball on the bench, and followed the girl back towards the temple. Along the way, the pair stopped by one of the roaming vendors on the main road, who they noticed was selling cooked food and various other desserts. The enticing smell being too strong to ignore, the pair of hungry youngsters sat down at his cart and ordered whatever they wanted for tea.

While the girl bought herself a small, adequate serving of fried rice and barbeque pork, Naruto ordered three enormous bowls of Miso Ramen, which he proceeded to consume in front of his stunned friend.

The daughter of the priestess gaped at the whiskered-youngster as he practically shoveled the noodles down his gullet. "How… can you eat so much?" she asked, the question being quite valid considering the jinchuriki didn't look like he was chewing any of it.

He just tilted his head back and swallowed the noodles in their entirety.

His slurping stopping for a moment, Naruto lowered his bowl and turned to the girl, his face bloated like a fish. Seeing the girl staring at him in shock, the youngster chewed the meats, noodles and vegetables in his mouth, before swallowing it. He then gasped in delight and grinned. "Oh, I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, dattebayo. And after all the work I did today, I am starving."

"I… I see…" Shion murmured, watching once more as the boy returned his attention to his bowl and picked up where he left off. _"There's no way I'd ever be able to eat that much."_

Of course, that was all a matter of perspective and situational circumstance. After Naruto had gotten through finishing his second bowl and putting it on top of his first one, he then pulled up the third bowl and prepared to dig in. It was at that exact moment the middle-aged wandering chef working behind the stall appeared from the place his built-in freezer unit was and set a new dish on the table in front of the blonde girl.

"Order up! One _Mega-Jumbo Strawberry Parfait_!" When Naruto turned to look at what his friend had also ordered, he almost choked on his noodles when he saw a two-foot high mountain of ice-cream, decorated by strawberries, chocolate sticks, cherries and marshmallows, sitting on the table in front of the blonde girl. "Enjoy!"

Overjoyed at seeing the delectable tower of sugary goodness standing before her, the youngster in the kimono rolled up her sleeve and prepared to start devouring the dessert. When she noticed Naruto gaping at her from where he was sitting, the blonde girl then stuck out her tongue at him in a cutesy manner, before going back to the thing she'd been waiting for all day.

As it turns out, both Naruto and his new friend were like two peas in a pod, especially when it came to food.

Once the pair were done with their treats and paid the man for his excellent services, the boy and girl then walked side-by-side back to the temple. Dusk had come and gone, giving way to the tranquil, starry veil of night. Despite the darkness, the pair easily found their way home, as their path was lit by a string of lanterns and torches that were set up all the way to the temple's main compound.

While they were marching up the path and under the temple's main tori gates, Naruto and his newfound friend fell into the throes of a pleasant conversation. At least, the best they could have as children.

"I had a lot of fun with you today," Naruto said, looking across at the girl with a warm grin.

The child in question glanced across at the child meekly and- with a smile of her own- nodded to him politely. "Me too. Th-Thank you."

Feeling his spirit lift somewhat, the child in the orange jacket then gave her an inquisitive look. "By the way, I don't think I ever got your name." He then poked his thumb into his chest. "I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Shion… Shion Hirakawa," the young priestess-in-training replied, at the same time tilting her head at the jinchuriki. "I… I saw you earlier today in the main hall of our temple. Your hands were tied up and you were surrounded by guards. I thought you'd gotten in trouble and had been arrested by kaa-san's soldiers."

"Ah. No. Not at all," Naruto laughed while rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "That was just a little misunderstanding. You see, back in my village I was training with this awesome new fuinjutsu… uhh, a sort of ninja technique that opens seals. When I was practicing how to activate them, I didn't think about how dangerous it could be, and ended up teleporting myself into the sky."

Shion blinked as she looked across at him. "You… teleported yourself? How did you manage that?"

"No idea," Naruto exclaimed while throwing his arms out incredulously. "I just opened the seal and WHOOSH!" he said while thrusting his hand in a downward, diving motion, "I found myself falling from the clouds dozens of miles above the planet. Hell, I was so high up I could literally see the ocean from where I was, dattebayo."

"Whoa," Shion breathed, at the same time leaning in closer to look him over. Seeing not many noticeable scuffs or bruises, save for the fact that his jacket was slightly dirty and torn, she then looked him right in the eye. "How did you survive? Did you crash?"

"More or less," Naruto said, weighing his hands in the air before then pointing across the compound. When the girl followed his finger, she saw he was jabbing it towards the barn on the other side of the compound, where they could see soldiers marching around the vicinity in full uniform. "I ended up opening up another portal that caught me and transported me somewhere else. When I came out the other side, I flew up then fell back down, and landed right on top of that building. Thank Kami there was so much hay on the roof and in the barn, otherwise I would be dead right now." He finished by throwing out his hands. "And that's how I wound up here."

After looking across at the barn for a moment, at the same time remembering seeing the soldiers working on it before leaving, the little girl turned back to the boy and looked at him in wonder. "You must have been so scared. I can't imagine what falling from the sky must have been like."

Naruto shrugged and rubbed his neck tiredly. "Honestly, it was terrifying. Not only was I spinning through the air, but the wind was so loud and so rough that it almost felt like my body was going to be ripped to pieces. I thought I was done for. But then…" He then thought about his next words for a moment, "I heard a woman's voice in the back of my head. She told me how to stop spinning, how to steady my body, and where to aim my portal. After that… I didn't feel afraid anymore… and I managed to pull off the impossible."

Upon hearing this sincere response from the youngster, Shion couldn't help but smile. "I think you had more than luck on your side. You must have a guardian angel watching over you too."

A broad grin appeared on the boy's lips as he then gave a lighthearted chuckle. "I guess I do." How else was he going to explain that voice?

Though he had no idea who the voice belonged to or where it came from, the one thing that Naruto did know was that despite the foreign presence, he still felt like he knew that voice. But try as he might, even after having an entire day to think about it, he just couldn't figure out why.

After walking a little bit closer to the steps leading up to the main temple, Shion then put on a wicked smile and decided to jog ahead. "Hey! Race you to the main hall!" she said, while proceeding to sprint away from a surprised Naruto.

"Race? W-Wait… hang on… are we allowed to do that?!" the blond called out when he saw the girl proceed to run up the stairs.

The young priestess's giggle echoed back down to the jinchuriki. "This whole temple is my home! Of course we can!" She then laughed as she made her way under the next set of tori arches.

Hearing Shion's taunting calls and laughs quickly relit the fire in Naruto's gut. Smirking back at the retreating girl, the boy then threw himself forward and sprinted after her at full speed. "Alright, then! You're on, dattebayo!"

While Naruto ran to catch up with Shion, who was close to reaching the top of the stairs and was about to pass through the front doors, down in the courtyard where all of the guards were marching, the two kids failed to spot Miroku returning from a walk. Having left the temple to speak with Daiki about the repairs to the barn and the new buildings he planned on setting up around the property and the barracks, the dark-haired woman in the blue, shrine-maiden kimono stopped near the front stairs just in time to see her daughter sprint up them with Naruto in tow.

Hearing their laughs of joy and the goading taunts they were throwing at one another, Miroku couldn't help but blink in surprise before a warm smile appeared on her lips.

" _She's finally found a friend to play with,"_ the mother thought, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest in delight. After all these years, after watching her daughter try so hard to join in with the other children in the village and find a companion her own age, she ended up finding one in the form of their unexpected visitor from another nation. Her fingers lacing together in front of her, Miroku inhaled deeply in relief. _"Perhaps now she won't have to grow up all alone."_

The real world, while seemingly calm and beautiful, was actually a cold and harsh place- especially for someone possessing her family's gifts. But with a kind heart and the right people around you to make memories and share experiences with, life became a far more enjoyable adventure.

As much as Miroku was hoping all the happiness and good fortune in the world for her daughter, the woman couldn't shake the feeling that trying times were lying in store for her.

OOO

(That night)

(Konohagakure)

A brisk knock echoed from the balcony of a three-story apartment complex on the edge of one of the hidden leaf's many suburban districts. As it turns out, the noise happened to come from the front door of the flat belonging to one Naruto Uzumaki, who was at that very moment receiving a very important visitor. The person in question took the form of the village's most esteemed and revered member- the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Having left his hat back up in his office, as well as a mountain of paperwork, the grey-haired elder in the white and red robes stood outside the boy's home, waiting patiently for the child to welcome him. The reason he was visiting of course was a matter of personal interest, as he wanted to check up on the child to see how he was doing in his studies and his home life. However, after a few minutes of waiting and knocking a couple more times against the oak barrier, the Third's brow crinkled in worry when he'd yet to receive a reply from inside.

"Naruto! Are you home?!" the old shinobi called out, once again raising his hand and giving another brief rap against the wood with his knuckles. "Hello?!"

Just as he was considering opening the door with his spare key to look inside, Hiruzen suddenly heard a pair of footsteps approaching from his right. At first thinking it was Naruto returning home late, the elder then received a bit of a surprise when he saw little Sakura Haruno- wearing a red dress and bow in her hair- walking up to him with a box wrapped and tied in a white cloth.

The moment the academy student saw the elder standing outside the door ahead of her, the pinkette gave a startled yelp and froze on the spot. "H-H-Hokage-sama!" the youngster exclaimed, quickly remembering her manners and bowing to the man in greeting. "H-How do you do?" She was so surprised that she didn't even care how silly her greeting sounded.

After blinking away his own surprise, Hiruzen smiled and turned to the small girl. "Good evening, Sakura-chan. What are you doing out here this evening?"

Straightening up after hearing the village leader's reply, the child smiled nervously back at the man. "Well I… Naruto-kun told me that he lives out here in his apartment all by himself… and since he doesn't have a mummy or daddy to cook for him, I thought that maybe I could bring him some of the dinner that I helped mum make." She then held up the box she was carrying to emphasize her point. "We had a lot of food left over."

Hearing this had Hiruzen's chest flutter a little, with the elder beaming warmly at the obviously cheerful girl. "That is very kind of you, Sakura-chan. Are you… friends with young Naruto-kun?"

"Uh-huh. Ino and I play with him and Shikamaru and Choji every day. I didn't notice him before since all the other children in our school have been staying away from him. But after talking to him and learning more about him, I realized he's actually a very, very nice boy," Sakura chirped, before then giggling at the end. "I also think he's really funny and cool."

Hiruzen chuckled at that. "Yes. Naruto-kun is an interesting one. If anything, he certainly knows how to make people laugh." If the pranks he used to pull on the teachers didn't indicate the presence of a sense of humor, then the boy's go-getter, fiery personality certainly did.

Upon realizing that the Hokage wasn't as scary as she initially made the village leader out to be, the pinkette looked up at the grey-haired man with a bit more enthusiasm. "Is Naruto-kun home? I want to ask him if he would like to come over to play tomorrow."

It was at that point the elder's attention was brought back to the previous issue, which quickly had his once cheerful expression deform into one of concern. "Actually, I was wondering if _you_ knew where he was," Hiruzen said while at the same time glancing back at the boy's door thoughtfully. "Naruto doesn't seem to be home right now."

"Oh," Sakura replied, her mood deflating slightly as she also turned to look at the orphan's apartment. "Is he… do you think he's out?"

"I'm not sure," Hiruzen murmured, not being able to sense the child in the building or anywhere nearby. Heck, normally the child's chakra signature would be easy for him to track down given its incredible potency, but after giving a quick scan of the streets and suburbs around them, the man couldn't pick up the boy's ridiculously high energy level- or that of the Kyuubi's. "I haven't been able to find him all day."

"Hmm…" Sakura scrunched her face up thoughtfully. "Maybe he's out training in the parks again." She shrugged when she saw the Hokage look at her inquisitively, which had the girl spring on her feet excitedly. "He does a lot of training. That's why he's so good at the jutsu that he knows."

"He does, huh?" the Third asked.

"Yeah. He can make all these cool seals that he can put things inside and then pull out! Oh! And he can also cut things standing a long way away from him just by waving his hands in the air! Oh-oh! And he can also throw this axe and call it back to him just by thinking it!" Sakura said, jumping on the spot as she excitedly recounted all the things Naruto had showed them. "He's fast! He's strong! And his taijutsu is so cool! He also told me that if I train a lot every day, I can become just as strong as him!" Her enthusiasm meant that all of her words came out in rapid fire.

Hiruzen grinned a little when he saw how taken Sakura was with the boy and how fondly she was speaking about him. It quickly became clear to him that Naruto's character was starting to catch on with the other kids and, thanks to his display of compassion and strength, he was finally starting to reel people in. In short, he was finally starting to make friends, which was something the Third had been hoping he would achieve for a long time now.

"Do you plan on training hard, like Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked.

The pinkette nodded briskly. "Yes. I'm going to ask daddy to show me some of his old training sessions next weekend. Since he's a Genin, he should know a lot of really good ones. I also want to ask Naruto-kun about his exercises and see what he does outside of school… but… he's not in at the moment." Her enthusiasm once again fading, Sakura looked back at the door for a moment. After thinking on it for several seconds, the kunoichi broke out another smile before shrugging. "I guess I can wait and ask him at school on Monday."

Once again the Third Hokage gave the girl a smile. "Sounds like a plan. I wish you the best of luck, Sakura-chan."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Bowing low to the elderly ninja, the girl then gleefully set the box of dinner she'd brought with her outside the boy's front door, before turning around and sprinting back down the walkway she'd come.

This left Hiruzen standing in place and waving to the girl. When he saw her disappear down the stairs at the end of the passage, the old shinobi frowned and turned to the door once again.

" _Where could Naruto be?"_ Though it was normal to see Naruto coming home late on some evenings, today seemed like a rather unusual case. In all the times Hiruzen had dropped in on the boy to check on his condition, whether it be on his front door or through his viewing globe, the blond had always, without fail, returned home.

But for some reason, something was different this time, and it had the Third Hokage worrying.

He hoped nothing had happened to the child.

" _Maybe he's camping in the forest again?"_

XXX

(The next day)

(Land of Demons)

Camping out under the stars wasn't exactly a thought that'd been lingering on Naruto's mind when the blond had laid himself down in the room Miroku had so kindly lent to him to stay for the night. After the long day he'd had of training, accidentally teleporting himself to the other side of the continent, crashing through a barn, helping to fix said barn, and then spending the rest of the afternoon playing with his newfound friend Shion, the young jinchuriki from Konoha was just in desperate need of a good, long sleep. The moment the child set his head down on the pillow and shut his eyes, the youngster immediately passed out with a gentle sigh and a big smile on his face.

It was a visage that remained ever-present with him all throughout the night, even when he inadvertently ended up rolling about underneath the blankets and falling half-way out of his futon.

When morning eventually rolled around several hours later and the soldiers stationed at the temple went about changing the guard, the jinchuriki- his internal clock still set on alert- happily decided to join them for their morning exercises.

After rolling up his futon and slapping on his pants and jacket, the child wandered out of the temple, and inserted himself into one of the platoons replacing the soldiers that'd been active during the graveyard shift. From there, he proceeded to follow them as they jogged out of the palace grounds, and headed straight into the hills surrounding their village. Through them, the youngster quickly got a real taste of what training for the soldiers serving under the High Priestess of the Land of Demons was like.

The morning all went by in a blitz. Following a half-an-hour run, the group then hit the courtyard for multiple sets of heavy weight-lifting sets and static exercises, which then immediately led into stretching and combat practice. Naruto had a great deal of fun sparring with a handful of the men and women in the troop, though they understandably went easy on him due to him being so young- not that they really needed to. After that it was weapons training and archery practice, where each of the squads in the contingent of soldiers took turns practicing with their swords, and shooting bolts into the straw targets lined up against the temple wall at the back of the estate. It was here the blond was able to show off his rapidly developing axe-throwing skills, where he would pitch his weapon at the dummies at the end of the range, and recall it with a quick wave of his hand.

Needless to say, the soldiers Naruto was accompanying on the shooting range were incredibly astonished to see the very magical axe return to the boy's hand repeatedly after throwing it over and over again at such a long-distance. Seeing the platoon's incredulous responses and slacked-jawed expressions served to help put a big grin on Naruto's face.

Once their morning training was complete and all of them had worked up a hell of a sweat, the soldiers then settled down for a good, healthy breakfast, with Naruto sitting amongst their ranks and chatting with a couple of the guards about his own training back home. When he told them he was putting all of his time and effort to becoming a shinobi of _Konohagakure_ , and that he had big plans for the future, the men and women at his table in the mess hall tipped their hats to the boy for his progress so far, and wished him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

After washing their plates and putting away their cutlery, Naruto took his leave from their ranks and returned to the temple. When he arrived at the front steps leading back up to the main building from the courtyard, the youngster received a bit of a surprise when he spotted a horse and cart standing on the path leading from the entrance to the estate, with a guard tightly holding the reigns of the animal.

Getting momentarily distracted by the sight of the wagon and the supplies it was carrying, the youngster then had his attention drawn toward the temple he'd been approaching, where he then saw the High Priestess herself descending the steps of her home. Flanked by two guards, the woman in the shrine maiden's kimono beamed when she noticed Naruto standing at the bottom of the stairs and looking at her.

"Ah. I see you're already up and about, Naruto-kun," the priestess remarked pleasantly to the young man. "I never expected you to be such an early riser. Did you decide to join my soldiers for their morning workouts?"

"Yep," the whiskered blond chirped and bowed to the woman in return. "I've been learning to wake up super-early for the past year. It's a big part of my ninja training,as it's helping me to get used to the long and early hours."

"Well… it must be very important for you, I'm sure," the woman replied, finally reaching the bottom of the path and stopping by the child. When she saw Naruto once again refer to the horse and its trailer, Miroku waited a moment for the blond to take in the transport before speaking again. "Good news. The transport my men have been preparing for _Konohagakure_ is all good to go. It's ready to leave for the Land of Fire anytime you want."

"Oh. Okay," Naruto spoke, not knowing what to say at first. But when it soon dawned on him that his return trip home was now sitting right in front of him, a big grin crossed the boy's lips, which was then followed by a louder exclamations of excitement, "Awesome! Thanks a lot, Miroku-oneechan!"

While the guards standing by the priestess gaped at the boy's casual address of their leader, the woman herself giggled at the child's delight and waved at him when he turned to smile at her. "Please. You have nothing to thank me for. I'm just glad to be able to help someone in need." Lowering her hand, the calm Miroku then beamed at the jinchuriki when he turned to face her fully. "Actually… I should be the one thanking you."

"Huh?" Naruto balked, quickly becoming confused when he heard the woman's statement. "What for? I… didn't really do anything, except help fix the roof that I broke."

Miroku gently shook her head in response to the boy's comment. "Trust me… you did more for me and my family than I could've ever hoped for. You see… my daughter, Shion… the girl you were spending time with last night... she's been living with me inside this temple ever since the day she was born, and has spent almost all of her time here growing up all by herself. Even though there are plenty of guards walking around and soldiers living here on this estate, she hasn't had a single person her age to play with or talk to in years." The priestess's smile faded slightly when she simplified her words. "In fact, she doesn't have a single friend close to her whom she can share her life with."

This information had Naruto recoil a little. "Huh? You mean… Shion-chan is all alone? How come?" He remembered seeing the kids back in the village running away from her, leaving her standing by herself in the park. Though the thought had been nagging at the back of his mind for the entire evening, the child didn't want to bring it up for fear of upsetting the girl, as he didn't think it was his business to interfere. But now, since it was the mother that was bringing it up, the orphan was hoping that now he would be able to get some answers.

The priestess inhaled sharply when she looked up at Naruto. "It's because of her gifts… traits inherited from my bloodline and my family." Noticing the confusion in the child's face grow, Miroku quietly explained to him what she meant. "You see, my daughter has this power inside of her that allows her to see into the future- a force unlike any other seen in the shinobi world. This usually happens by accident, but whenever she does, she always receives a vision of the exact moment a person dies."

Naruto's eyes widened at this. "R-Really?"

"Yes," Miroku nodded sadly. "It's a defense mechanism of Shion's powers. Whenever her life is threatened by an exterior force- be it direct or indirect- her dormant abilities allow her to pick another person closest to her, to sacrifice themselves in her place, ensuring her survival when that moment inevitably transpires. As a consequence of her gifts, my daughter has been made ostracized by all the parents and children in the village, leaving her without a single companion. And it is a fact that I myself am unable to resolve." She then lowered her head as she tentatively pressed her hands together. "Five of my soldiers have already died to protect my daughter… all of whom Shion saw perish in her visions."

Swallowing nervously when he heard this, Naruto then looked down at the ground in amazement. "Whoa. So Shion-chan... is able to look into the future like that?" That was crazy as far as he was concerned. But after what he'd seen and done recently, it wasn't that big of a stretch for him to imagine.

Despite the sadness brought on by her tale, Miroku still mustered up the strength to look the child in the eyes and beam at him. "Thanks to you, my daughter was able to experience what being a normal child was like. Even if it was only for a short while, she was also able to spend an entire afternoon with someone who is just like her, and from another village too." She then stepped towards Naruto and, seeing the child gaze up at her, the mother clasped her hands together in an act of anticipation. "Despite knowing of my daughter's gifts, would you still be willing to consider her a friend, Naruto-kun?"

Obviously surprised at hearing this question, the boy with the whiskers on his cheeks didn't need to think long for an answer. "Of course I would," the jinchuriki said while straightening up and clenching his fists. "Just because she has these powers, doesn't mean people have to be afraid of her and run away. I certainly won't." Naruto then grinned as he looked at the woman in front of him cheerfully. "Shion-chan is one of the nicest girls I've ever met. I loved hanging out with her yesterday, and if I didn't have to go back to my village, I would stay here with her for as long as she wants."

When Miroku heard this and saw the sincere smile the boy was sporting, the priestess felt her spirit lift and her chest heave with joy. "I'm glad to hear that, Naruto-kun."

Before the pair could speak any further, Naruto suddenly spotted somebody else approaching them behind the woman. When he craned his head to look around her, the child saw Shion-chan walking down the steps towards them, a sight that was soon acknowledged by Miroku as well. All the people in that area faced the girl when she trotted down the last few steps, and when she got to the bottom she went straight for Naruto's side.

Stopping right in front of him with her hands behind her, the girl looked between him and the horse cart nearby. The few glances she spared was soon accented by a dismayed expression, which framed her face when she turned to face her newly made friend.

"Are you… leaving already?" she asked, obviously sounding disappointed.

A sad smile tugged at Naruto's lips, who nodded glumly to the girl. "Yeah. S-Sorry, Shion-chan… but I won't be able to stay here for any longer than I already have. I need to get back to the village before Hokage-jiji and my friends notice I'm missing, and start worrying about me. Heck, I could already be in trouble for coming all the way out here." Even if it was by accident.

Hearing this prompted Shion to lower her head, whose shoulders rose and fell as she exhaled deeply. "I… I understand." When she looked back up at the child and returned his fond gaze with her own, the young priestess in training then turned to Miroku. When she saw her mum and the guards behind her watching them, the girl then stepped towards the head of the temple and addressed her. "Kaa-san, I... have something I have to tell you."

"Hm?" Miroku murmured, her expression changing quickly to one of inquisitiveness. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"I…" Hesitating at first, Shion quickly took another breath and steeled herself, "I had another dream… a few weeks ago. I didn't want to say anything about it at first, because I didn't think any of it was real. That it was just another nightmare or a dream. But… but after looking back on what I remember about it, I want to tell you now." Despite her attempts to do the opposite, the girl was unable to stop her body from visibly shivering on the spot- a phenomenon that did not go unnoticed by the surrounding soldiers or Naruto. Feeling the half a dozen sets of eyes fixed squarely on her, the clearly nervous child in the kimono did her best to steady herself, before eventually coming out with the news she'd been holding back for the last month. "I… I saw you die."

Silence suddenly reigned over the area, with Miroku and her soldiers staring down at the child with eyes. While horror gripped the expressions of the guards assembled on the stairs, the high priestess of the temple quickly shook herself out of her daze and narrowed her eyes on her daughter intently. When she looked both her child's posture and expression over carefully, it soon dawned on the mother that Shion wasn't lying. It was a fact made all the more obvious by the way the girl's fists were shaking and how she bit down on the edge of her bottom lip.

As it had been the case with all her previous prophesies, her daughter's words were hard to swallow. "Shion-chan… you-" Unfortunately she was unable to continue her response, as a sudden ping on her mental radar suddenly had the woman spin around in alarm.

Looking towards the roof of the main palace sitting at the top of the stairs- her gaze soon being joined by those of the two children and all the guards in the immediate vicinity- Miroku, Naruto and everybody else suddenly spotted three mysterious figures sitting on the edge of the temple's crown.

While one of them sat on his own with his legs dangling over the side and what looked like a red energy rod propped against his arm, the other two stood beside one another- the largest one positioned on the roof while the smallest of them floated directly on his right and in front of him, literally defying the laws of gravity. Despite the various differences between the three individuals, especially in regards to their sizes and features, the only things that they shared in common was that they all had white hair, white skin, and were dressed in grey and white ornate robes of extravagant designs.

What's more, the three of them were also looking down at the group gathered at the bottom of the stairs with correspondingly cold, pale white eyes that seemed to glow with malice and evil intent.

The sight of the figures and the surge of power she sensed from them had Miroku's eyes widen in alarm.

"Th-They are…" she whispered.

A light wind kicking up around him and causing the veil on his head to billow to the side, Momoshiki's eyes turned from the High Priestess to the little boy with blond hair standing behind her. The moment his attention fixated on him, the short man smirked.

"Found you."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	4. Otsutsuki Arc - Gods and Demons Part I

**Author's Note:** Alright, before any of you guys read this chapter, I'd like to break a few things down for those who don't understand where I'm coming from in writing this part of the story, as well as having characters from the _Naruto Shippuden Movie 1_ going up against villains from the _Naruto - Boruto The Movie/Next Generations_ series, and having any hope of even remotely challenging them.

This being the case, there are actually a few facts I wanted to write down and add to this author's note so that people (namely those who haven't seen the Shippuden Movie) have context before coming into this chapter- though I feel the chapter I've written alone covers this well enough. But just in case, please read as follows:

In the _Naruto Shippuden Movie 1_ when we are first introduced to the non-canon characters **Shion** , as well as her mother **Miroku** and the villain **Moryu** , right off the bat it was clear from their descriptions that these three characters weren't normal at all (as was the case with some of the other Naruto Movie villains, including Satori and the whole Gelel situation), and didn't use conventional ninjutsu techniques or chakra- though the terminology is still used between them.

From what we were able to find out about **Moryu** , not only do we learn that he is a powerful demonic force that could only be stopped by having his spirit and body separated by Miroku in order to properly seal him (which implies that conventional sealing techniques don't work on him like with the biju, but in a similar manner to how **Hagoromo** and **Hamura Otsutsuki** sealed **Kaguya** by separating her chakra and her physical body, aka the Tailed Beasts and the Gedo Mazo statue), but before this movie even took place, Moryu nearly came close to taking over the Five Great Shinobi Nations and creating what he wanted to call a ' _Thousand Year Kingdom_ ' (again, much like what Kaguya tried to do, but with a different method and plans in mind). From these points alone we learn that Moryu doesn't just possess great ambition, but also a substantial amount of power and a very strong form of immortality, as well as the ability to potentially take over the entire Earth. This is cemented at the beginning of the movie itself when after _**Naruto is 'impaled and killed by Moryu'**_ and Sakura and the team bury him, we move to a sweeping shot of the countryside outside of Konoha from Tsunade's window, and we see the continent _being utterly overrun and decimated by Moryu and his army_. The audience can deduce from this cryptic shot that the Five Great Nations have spiraled into chaos- even though we haven't been introduced to the other countries and their characters yet. That was from this alternate timeline anyway- and it is implied that were it not for Shion and Naruto combining their powers at the end of the movie, Moryu would not have been stopped.

And this is only the start of it. Though we know that both **Shion** and **her mother** are viewed as priestesses by the people of _Oni no Kuni_ \- who have this special power to seal/destroy evil spirits and what not- the flashbacks of **Miroku** experienced from Shion's point of view tell a much deeper story about Miroku's scattered past. This is where things get a little iffy.

According to **Yomi** \- Moryu's temporary host in the _Shippuden Movie_ \- Miroku and Moryu used to be _**one in the same entity**_ , but were split apart for some inane reason. Though Yomi himself was convinced that this was the case and attempted to convince Shion of her mother's origins, the flashbacks from Shion's point of view however reveal that not only were Miroku and Moryu really separate people, but they were also beings that were- in simple terms- _**not human**_. From one small flashback towards the end of the movie, we see both Miroku and Moryu as creatures composed entirely of ethereal light (though this can also be interpreted as an artistic direction rather than a deliberate design of their past characters)- gold and blue respectively- complete with halos and angelic wings, which immediately establishes them as creatures not from Naruto's Earth. What's more, they also referred to humans as a separate race from them. In their conversation with each other, we learn that while Moryu wanted to rule over the humans with his power and Miroku's jutsu, Miroku didn't want any part in his plans, in which she asked him, quote- "Such folly. Have you really no faith in mankind?"- unquote, to which Moryu then replies, quote- "Faith in them? That sorry lot? You cannot be serious, Miroku!" unquote. It is even stated in one instant that Moryu was 'a demon who came from another world' in both translations (similar to the Otsutsuki), and that in the movie it is mentioned that his powers were similar in contrast to Miroku's and Shion's. After this encounter, we can assume the two went their separate ways, Moryu went bad, and the events leading up to the Shippuden Movie took place.

The conversation itself is very ambiguous (and yes, it can be interpreted in different ways, such as Miroku and Moryu being humans and such), and it does use standard jutsu terminology used by everybody else in the Naruto world. But the Otsutsuki Clan also used similar terms and references regarding some of their abilities, which does leave room for a bit of reimagining.

However, the biggest reason why I believe that Miroku and Moryu could compete against the Otsutsuki- not just from Moryu's appearance and display of power- but also from Shion's transformation into her angelic form. Though unclear from the one flashback of Miroku and Moryu, when we see Shion transform, she turns completely gold, has _**Sage Mode**_ like markings appear all over her body, and becomes surrounded by light chakra. This unique form is not only similar in appearance to **Toneri Otsutsuki** 's form when he unleashes the full power of the **Tenseigan** , but also when **Naruto** gains the **Yin-Yang Sage of Six Paths'** chakra. The only thing that was missing was the _Truth-Seeking Orbs_ , though Shion's form did have wings, a veil, and a halo, and she emitted an enormous amount of power. Aside from those already mentioned above, this was the only time we have ever seen another character in the Naruto universe transform like this. This leads me to conclude that, although Shion is human or part human (and maybe her mother too, despite her not acting like a human at times and it not being specified), her powers clearly were not.

What I gathered from my assessment of the Shippuden Movie, which I watched over a dozen times at least, was that it gave us concepts and ideas that we wouldn't see until the very end of the Shippuden series (and this was years prior to the ending), and that Moryu was a seriously underrated villain in terms of his power and capabilities- not to mention he was completely terrifying. His placement in the hierarchy of villains just came at a really stupid time, where the rest of the Naruto world hadn't been fully explored yet, where Moryu himself was hyped up as this big, bad, world-conquering supervillain above even the Akatsuki that forced the hidden villages to rally against his army, and after which we got a whole bunch of other different villains that I feel paled in comparison to him.

Anyway, now that I've covered some background points and my feelings behind them, we can now get back to the story- and see where I take the abovementioned concepts.

Please enjoy.

* * *

 **Naruto**

 _ **ONI**_

 _Gods and Demons Part I_

In just seconds of spotting the three intruders on top of the temple building, the alarms all around the palace's security walls and towers went off at once. Gongs and bells echoed throughout the vicinity of the village as the soldiers on standby immediately scrambled into battle positions. The platoons of soldiers patrolling the courtyard around the main building quickly rushed to the High Priestess's side, with the guards already surrounding the woman getting in front of her and her daughter, the latter of whom had moved to fearfully clutch Naruto's arm.

None of the soldiers however paid any heed to the girl's terror. Their one and only focus was the three white beings gathered on the roof of their country's most spiritually significant landmark, who had not only come out of nowhere but had also entered the temple's grounds without anybody spotting or sensing them. It was only when Miroku herself had sensed them materialize out of thin air that any of them had managed to spot them in the first place.

In just under a minute, almost the entire regiment had assembled in the courtyard and along the walls in full military force. With spearmen at the front and all the archery units formed into multiple rows behind them, every single man and woman in the temple was now bearing arms against the three foes that'd practically dropped down from the sky to confront them.

And at the center of all of this, Naruto and Shion stood huddled together, looking up at the new arrivals with mixed expressions of nervousness and confusion.

"W-Where did they come from?" the terrified Shion asked, her gaze set squarely on the trio above them.

"No idea," Naruto whispered back, at the same time feeling the girl beside him tighten her grip on his sleeve. _"Huh? Who the heck are those guys?"_ the blond thought, his attention shifting from one figure to the other as he took in their individual appearances. _"They're all pale like ghosts… and dressed in white…"_ And were those… _horns_ coming out of their heads? Huh.

In all his years of running around Konoha and glancing through old texts, the blond had never seen anything so peculiar. It was almost like he was looking at a bunch of made-up characters taken straight out of one of the fairy tale books the kindergarten teacher used to read to the class during story time.

The ones about oni and demons.

While Naruto was quietly observing the newcomers from his spot at the foot of the stairs, a rather cold chill suddenly ran up his spine when he felt the three individuals on the roof turn their full attention onto him. The sensation of their empty eyes boring into him had the child literally shaking in his sandals, as he could sense nothing but malice and ill intent radiating from their gazes.

After spending the last few moments analyzing the force of humans that'd gathered in the piazza in front of them, the currently floating Momoshiki had now turned his attention to the whiskered blond standing in the center of the banners. Focusing chakra into his eyes and causing a series of angry veins to appear on either side of his face, the man's vision was then enhanced tenfold- granting him a completely new view of the surrounding world, while at the same time magnifying his gaze on the child.

When he did, not only was he able to see the blue chakra pathways coursing through the youngster's body, but also the orange sphere of energy radiating inside of the child's belly. The sight of the anomaly put a smile on his pasty white face. "I can see the biju's chakra with my _Byakugan_. There's no doubt about it… _that_ little human is its host."

His companion Urashiki, who was simply sitting there and enjoying the sights, leant back on the tiled roof and lazily kicked one of his legs back and forth. "Well… what are we waiting for then? Let's grab him and leave this rotten place."

"Wait…" Momoshiki suddenly spoke, narrowing his eyes when he spotted something else unusual standing in the crowd. When he focused his attention on the girl hiding behind the jinchuriki, instead of seeing an ordinary blue chakra shell, the Otsutsuki saw that the young priestess's entire body was alight with a bright golden glow, which seemed to be radiating just as intensely as the boy beside her. This sudden observation had the man deactivate his kekkei genkai and glance across at Kinshiki. "The human girl standing beside him… the one in the orange robe… she has an enormous well of chakra dwelling inside her too… of a type that I've never seen before."

"Really?" Urashiki murmured, leaning over to peer down at the children. When he saw the two blondes huddled together behind the soldiers, the man cocked his head to the side and clicked his tongue in an unimpressed manner. "Hmm… funny. She doesn't look like much. Actually, she seems pretty pathetic to me." In fact, all the people in their general vicinity appeared pathetic. But now was not the time to dwell on semantics.

"We should bring her back to the grove," the hulking Kinshiki spoke in a deep voice, turning his attention to his surrogate son and, by extension, his superior. "If her chakra is of a different sort compared to the rest of this crop, then her body is worth further studying. Our research could yield some surprising results."

At this, Momoshiki nodded his head. "I agree." His chest then heaved up and down as he exhaled in exasperation. "Very well. We'll take her with us too. But first let's deal with this useless rabble." With that said and done, the long-haired man wasted no time in dropping altitude and floating down to the steps below- where a group of soldiers were waiting patiently to surround him.

As soon as the pale man touched down on the tiled floor of the palace's main entrance beneath the tori, the guards stationed there immediately formed a spear circle around him. The moment they had their weapons bearing down on the stranger from all sides, the sergeant at the front of the formation barked at the intruder. "Hands up!"

Miroku, shaking out of her shocked state and spotting her soldiers surrounding the Otsutsuki, stepped forward in panic, "NO! DON'T-!" But it was too late.

Appearing completely bored and blasé, Momoshiki shrugged. "Okay." He then raised both his arms, an action that was immediately followed by a sudden and very powerful shockwave that not only knocked all the soldiers surrounding him off their feet, it also disintegrated their spears and shattered the ground for several yards. The deafening thunderclap that occurred was further punctuated by a crater being formed in the stone around the celestial, which also shattered the giant red tori standing in front of him and sent the pieces soaring across the quad.

The ranks of soldiers filed across the courtyard below literally had to dive for cover when massive chunks of gate came raining down on top of them. The moment the bits of wood finished crashing to the floor seconds later, several of the platoons had effectively broken formation, leaving clouds of dust hanging over the heads of those who were still on their feet.

While most of the military on station were stumped by the sudden and extreme display of force by the intruder, Naruto and Shion were beside themselves. The two kids, who'd literally dropped to their knees when the explosion took place, were now gazing up in horror at the man that'd executed the attack, and was still standing where he was when he set it off.

"W-What was that?!" Naruto asked out loud, not knowing what he'd just witnessed. Was it some kind of jutsu?

Before he could even begin processing what he'd just seen to come up with a possible answer, he suddenly heard a familiar voice echo through his head. _**"Brat! Run!"**_

Blinking, Naruto looked down at himself in surprise. "Huh? Kyuubi? Is that you?" The fox's deep, gravelly voice was unmistakable. After all, he'd spent the last month or so trying to talk to the tailed beast and make friends with him. And now, out of the blue, the kitsune was now deciding to open up channels with him, while he was awake no less. What's more, and this was something the blond immediately noticed, he sounded terrified.

Were Naruto actually looking at the giant beast behind the bars of his cell, the boy would see the Nine-Tails on his feet and glaring through the gates of his prison in fear. _**"Forget about me, runt! Just get the hell out of there! Right now!"**_ the fox practically barked.

"Yeah? But where?" the blond asked, looking behind him and noticing all of the soldiers gathered behind him and the gates sealed shut.

" _ **It doesn't matter! Just get up and run!"**_ the fox practically screamed at him. _ **"GO! NOW!"**_

Eyes wide and heart pounding, Naruto grabbed the terrified Shion's arm and looked at the girl. "We have to run!"

"H-Huh?" the young priestess-in-training stammered, her body shaking all over.

"Come on!" the whiskered-child shouted, getting to his feet and picking the girl up with him. "Let's go!" He then prepared to make the hand seal that would open up a portal for him to jump through with Shion. But just before he could even make it a few steps or even put his hands together, a large red energy blade in the shape of a saber suddenly dropped down from above and landed directly in front of Naruto and Shion, stopping both of them dead in their tracks.

His arm stretched out in front of him, Kinshiki gave a low grunt as he kept his eyes fixated on their targets- who he noticed had tried to run away. "You're not going anywhere."

Momoshiki meanwhile, watching the dust settle around him and the humans in the quad gather their senses, merely grunted in a bored manner. "Insects." He then proceeded to float forward at his own leisure, reaching the stairs past the ruined tori and beginning to gracefully make his way down them.

Being the first to respond, the commander of the armed forces standing closest to the shocked Miroku turned to his forces and raised his fist. "ALL UNITS! OPEN FIRE!" the man shouted, thrusting his hand forward in a clear order of intent.

The moment the man's instruction echoed over the garrison of troops behind him, every single archer in the vicinity aimed their bows and let loose their arrows. The sound of rushing wind filled the entire area as the entire sky suddenly became filled with over a thousand wooden projectiles, which arced upwards before plummeting all at once towards the three targets scattered across the front of the temple. The sun was almost literally blocked out by the high number of arrows, which almost instantly cast a shadow over the intruders that they were targeting.

However, despite the wave of attacks now flying towards them, the three pale-faced creatures from the stars merely watched the arrows fall towards them with similarly indifferent expressions shared between them.

While Kinshiki conjured an enormous axe composed of red energy out of thin air and smacked the arrows that fell on him away with the side of it, Urashiki merely flicked his chakra rod and cut the arrows approaching him to ribbons with the wire that appeared from his weapon, and Momoshiki raised his hand and flexed his fingers, generating a blast of wind that disintegrated the arrows aimed at him midflight. The act of doing so didn't even stop his progress, as he continued to descend the steps like a literal phantom drifting across the battlefield.

As arrows continued to be fired at the three intruders from the army of archers at random intervals, all of which were carelessly being shrugged off, the observing commander then barked his next orders to the soldiers on the front lines. "Ground troops! Advance!" he shouted, at the same time pointing at the approaching Momoshiki. "Protect the High Priestess!"

In response, the spearmen and swordsmen at the front all charged, rushing up the steps on mass to intercept the intruder. Filled with pluck and vinegar, the contingent of brave souls rushed at the pale, robed male, with the full intent of running him through with their weapons and putting an end to him once and for all.

But as they soon found out, defeating these intruders was not going to be easy. In fact, it was going to be downright impossible.

With yet another wave of his gloved hand, Momoshiki directed his aim towards the oncoming troops, flashing into view what looked like a giant red, ringed eye wedged in the center of his palm. The moment the orifice gleamed into view, several orange energy bolts suddenly sprayed out from his hand and struck the soldiers. Almost instantly the armed guards that were rushing up the stairs spontaneously combusted, their bodies lighting up and literally catching fire, which quickly spread over the squads of troops behind them.

The guards' screams of agony echoed throughout the entire courtyard as they were literally stopped in their tracks. The ones at the front quickly fell back, dropping their weapons while waving their arms about in an attempt to quell the flames that engulfed them. Yet all they managed to accomplish was crash into their comrades running up behind them, setting them on fire, and knocking the rest of them off their feet. Some even fell over the side of the stairs and crashed to the floor several feet below, and died by breaking their necks.

The scene was one of utter brutality and carnage, which only served to horrify the observing Naruto and Shion, and intimate the soldiers still standing.

However, as they'd proven multiple times before, their bravery in the face of death and their loyalty to their beloved priestess was unwavering. Instead of backing down, the soldiers continued to fight on, with the men coming up behind the first wave of troops that'd not caught fire rushing forward the cut off the veiled Otsutsuki's advance.

"Die, monster!" one of the spearmen shouted, springing through the air and lunging down at the floating Momoshiki. His attack was straight and true, and were this an ordinary opponent it most surely would've hit. But despite the man's best efforts, Momoshiki merely side-stepped the blow and kicked the man away. The loud _crunch_ of the man's bones shattering filled the air, before his body was sent flying fifty yards across the quad and over the heads of his comrades.

The same fate awaited all the other brave men and women that reached Momoshiki. Though they attacked the robed man from all sides, every single one of them were beaten back by a blur of palm strikes and kicks. The pale man practically darted between the attacking humans, batting them away with superb and graceful movements that, though were ridiculously powerful, were thrown with very little effort from the seemingly invincible warrior.

Watching her men get cut down one after the other by the rapidly approaching Otsutsuki had the silent Miroku grit her teeth and clench her fists angrily. When she saw another wave of over two-dozen of her loyal soldiers get sent flying by another blast of wind that seemingly came off of the white individual, the High Priestess decided right then and there that enough was enough, and she quickly formed a hand seal.

" _That's it!"_ the woman thought, the tiara on her forehead quickly flashing gold the moment her hands came together in a completely unique sign- which had the index fingers pressed together, while the knuckles of her other fingers and thumbs flattened against each other.

Just before she could take any further action, a loud thump and an enormous shadow landing directly behind her suddenly caught her attention. Eyes widening in alarm, the priestess spun around to see what had landed on her six o'clock, only to be met with the sight of a massive palm slamming into her and sending her flying across the quad.

What happened in that instant was Kinshiki- who'd spotted the woman doing something sketchy from his position on the roof- practically teleporting behind her and smacking her away with a full-body slap with his impossibly large hand. His grunt of effort was followed by a loud sonic boom, as Miroku's body literally broke the sound barrier as it hurtled across the courtyard and smashed through the defensive wall on the other side of the palace's estate. The sight of the entire section of structure caving in on the hole the woman had made caused the soldiers in that vicinity to gape in shock.

Naruto and Shion especially, who were standing almost directly behind the large intruder, were stumped after watching what'd happened.

Casual as ever, Urashiki whistled in an impressed tone at seeing his colleague handily dispatch the female. "That's a foul," the man joked.

The big Kinshiki meanwhile, his energy axe still propped over his shoulder, lowered his arm and grunted. "We don't need any of your tricks, puny human."

Overcome with shock, the stunned Shion cried out, "KAA-SAN!"

"MIROKU-SAMA!" the army commander shouted, quickly drawing his katana and charging at the hulking Kinshiki standing just a few feet from where Naruto and Shion were huddled up. Body leant forward to decrease wind resistance, the man in green plated armor gave a loud battle cry as he charged at full speed at the enormous invader. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, DEMON!"

Spotting the incoming officer and the soldiers surrounding him, Kinshiki decided to act. A flash of light occurring on his back soon led to the formation of a chakram-like ornament, which hovered over his shoulders like a quiver. When he held up his free hand, flecks of light from the crescent of energy gathered at his finger tips and formed into nail-like blades. Upon manifesting these weapons, the large celestial then dropped to his knee and buried his fingers into the tiled floor. After splitting the ground with his palm, a ridiculously powerful shockwave then rang out, forming a crater directly beneath him and shattering the ground across the entire property.

The temple and its walls literally shook from their foundations, with every single soldier in the vicinity being blasted off their feet from the waves formed in the ground from the sonic discharge. As the entire village was practically shaken by the anomaly, those soldiers managing to hold their footing on the moving ground could only watch in astonishment as half of the palace in front of them sunk into the earth splitting underneath it. The plate of earth they were all standing on was pretty much shattered from the attack, which created a deafening rumbling sound that could be heard for miles around.

When the earth stopped trembling moments later and the dust from the catastrophic technique started to settle, not only was an entire swath of soldiers felled, knocked out, or outright killed by the blast waves, but the palace grounds had all been fractured.

Urashiki meanwhile, who was still watching all from above, had to levitate himself off of the temple roof to stop from falling with the rest of the building. "Hmph. Kinshiki-senpai is such a show-off." While musing over the damage caused to the area, the man suddenly became aware of something fast approaching him from the corner of his eye. Backing up sharply in midair, the lazy Otsutsuki was able to move just in time to dodge a massive arrow bolt fired at him from nearby.

Following its path after watching it land somewhere in the forest, the celestial spotted a large ballista pointing at him from one of the temple's main towers. Raising an eyebrow, the man whipped his energy rod through the air and cast an energy line towards the tower just as the soldiers stationed on it were reloading the weapon. Feeling it hook onto its base, Urashiki grunted as he gave the tower a firm pull, ripping a massive chunk out of it before watching the pillar collapse into the courtyard, crushing a couple sheds and a few soldiers underneath with an earsplitting bang.

The sight greatly amused Urashiki, who then retracted his line and set his rod over his shoulders. "Primitive earth monkeys. What a useless bunch."

With most of the soldiers in the immediate area taken out, Kinshiki then slowly turned his attention to the two children standing behind him. The moment his one visible eye landed on the pair, he saw the kids immediately back away, with Naruto quickly moving in front of Shion and holding his arms in front of them- positioning himself in his _Uzuken_ fighting stance. A fierce glare then came upon his terrified face as he glared up at the Otsutsuki.

"Get back, you creep!" Naruto growled at the man bravely. But with the sweat that was now dripping down his cheeks, it was quite obvious the child was getting in over his head. He then spun his hands, aiming to fire off an attack right at the invader at pointblank range.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to show his stuff.

The moment Naruto's hands moved, Kinshiki merely chuckled and, with lightning fast movements, drew back his arm and literally backhanded the boy in the side. As if being hit by a charging bull, the whiskered youngster was knocked off his feet by the celestial's massive hand before he could finish his own movements and sent flying, only to be intercepted by Momoshiki moving into his path and catching him on his arm.

With their prize's body literally hanging off of his forearm like a towel, the pale man then flung the stunned youngster over his shoulder and glared across at his companion. The still miraculously conscious Naruto was unable to fight back, as he coughed out the blood that'd pooled in his mouth from the monstrous hit he received.

"Be careful, Kinshiki," the Otsutsuki leader said firmly, ignoring the fact that the youngster almost stained his clothes. "These creatures are quite fragile."

"Apologies, Momoshiki-sama," the hulking man replied, before then turning his attention to Shion. When he saw the young girl back away, Kinshiki carelessly then reached forward to grab her.

However, the moment he attempted to pick her up, a bright pink flash of light suddenly occurred on the collar of the girl's kimono. Before the man could even touch the girl, several thin beams of energy suddenly discharged from Shion's kimono and streaked through the air in multiple directions. Kinshiki barely had enough time to bring up his red chakra axe to shield himself from the blasts, which effortlessly sliced through his weapon and shattered it.

"Gah!" the man shouted when his cheek got cut and the tip of his one visible horn got sliced off. He then leapt back as fast as he could to avoid getting cut further by the pink beams, which faded away moments later.

Observing the event take place, Momoshiki frowned. "What's wrong?"

After a quick study of the child following the unexpected attack, the hulking Kinshiki frowned. "This child has some kind of powerful barrier protecting her. I couldn't block or absorb any of the chakra," the celestial replied, at the same time seeing Shion glance down at the tiny bell she was wearing on her collar. "This could be problematic."

"So what? So she has some weird magical defense preventing you from touching her? Big deal," Urashiki's voice suddenly chimed in as the man floated down to land behind Shion. When he saw the girl's eyes snap to him in a startled manner, the lanky man with the red chakra rod smirked at her. "We've overcome tougher anomalies than this. Let's just transport her and the boy to _Kamoto_ , and start harvesting their chakra."

Shaking off the sudden countermeasure from the tiny Shion, Kinshiki prepared to give it a second go, until a shockwave from nearby suddenly caught the trio's attention. When the Otsutsuki looked across the ruined courtyard turned battlefield, the group of extra-terrestrials suddenly saw the collapsed wall suddenly explode and a massive beam of golden light shoot up into the sky. Watching the rubble and stone get disintegrated by the pulsating pillar of energy ripping into the stratosphere of the planet, both Kinshiki and Momoshiki couldn't help but blink in astonishment when they sensed an enormous power growing from within the abnormality.

Urashiki, at first reacting surprised, then grinned in amusement. "Ooh. Looks like somebody's pissed off."

"We should get out of here," Kinshiki stated, while at the same time looking across at his companion.

"Agreed," Momoshiki answered with a frown, as he too could sense the energy in the light building at a rather alarming speed. "We'll come back for the rest of the biju later. For now, let's get these two to the next realm over and begin processing them." Glancing to his right, the man then narrowed his eyes, activated his _Byakugan_ , and focused his gaze on the space in front of him. Doing so suddenly caused the air to quite literally part and a black doorway to open up next to him. Momoshiki then casually stepped through it with Naruto in tow.

Urashiki meanwhile smirked and, focusing on the space beneath Shion, narrowed his left eye. The pale eye instantly morphed into a deep red Rinne-Sharingan, which caused a second black doorway to open up beneath the child and sucked her in. The girl's cry of fright vanished into the void as she was effectively dropped through the dimensional gateway. Kinshiki and Urashiki then stepped in and followed her, both of them disappearing through the spatial tear.

The second all three Otsutsuki leapt through their respective doorways, the black holes vanished, just seconds before the beam of light shooting out of the pile of rubble incinerated the remaining debris.

When the dust and light faded around the impact zone at the wall, a virtually unscathed yet dirty Miroku rushed out. The moment she appeared and began looking about the courtyard in a panic, it quickly became obvious that her appearance had changed somewhat. Not only were her purple eyes a bright pink, but the tiara she wore was glowing and her once greyish, dark hair had turned bright blonde. Obviously it was her transformation into this state that had effectively removed the rubble that'd piled up on top of her.

Looking past the few scattered soldiers that were still conscious getting up from the ruined ground, the High Priestess and mother began calling out for her daughter. "Shion-chan! SHION-CHAN!" the woman cried out, hoping against all hope that she would hear her child answer in kind. "Shion-chan!" But after running across the ruined quad and past her dazed troops, the woman's heart practically sank when she couldn't see or sense her beloved young one. When she reached the area close to where Naruto and Shion had been standing, the maiden slowly sank to her knees and gasped in horror. "No."

As the soldiers standing around her quickly moved back into defensive positions and went about helping those who were still alive, a squad of them approached their matriarch and stood behind her vigilantly. Once they'd managed to regain their bearings, the group of five men and women gazed down at their leader sorrowfully, as the lieutenant stepped forward and bowed her head low.

"I'm sorry, Miroku-sama. We couldn't stop them," the woman whispered in a low voice, closing her eyes in anticipation of the fury the priestess was going to unleash on her.

However, no anger ever came.

Instead of scolding her troops and admonishing them for their failure, the priestess closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. After letting the dismay at her slow reaction time fade and her sadness wash out, Miroku opened her pink irises and glared up towards the spot where she'd previously been standing. Seeing the cart that she'd prepared for Naruto lying in ruins, with the horse having run off at the outset of the chaos, the woman exhaled determinedly.

"Was Shion-chan wearing the bell?" the woman asked.

Looking up from her humble bow, the lieutenant glanced back at the soldiers standing behind her, before quickly standing at attention. "Yes, ma'am. She was. When the big warrior tried to grab her, the power inside the relic activated and fended him off."

"Good. I designed that seal myself. The light of our home star Vega that dwells within her will prevent those three from doing laying a finger on her," Miroku said, at the same time rising to her feet as a fierce glare remained plastered on her face. She couldn't make the same promise for Naruto however, as the boy was not offered any sort of protection. That was not the only bad thing, as the priestess soon disclosed. "But if they try to break through Shion's barrier, they might end up unleashing the latent power lying dormant inside her… and destroy whatever world they are currently inhabiting. That is an outcome that I cannot let happen."

Her daughter was a special case for their race. She didn't just inherit her clan's unique chakra and the gift of foresight. Oh no. Miroku knew above all else that her daughter had been born with an almost ungodly well of energy- a power and potential that was many times greater than her own. If her child was to become corrupted in any way, shape or form, or have her life-threatened by a force that sought to steal her energy for themselves, the priestess had every reason to believe that Shion could become a threat greater than any other creature or demon alive across the multiverse- Otsutsuki or otherwise.

If her hypothesis was correct, then the three celestials of the wandering parasitic clan- who craved chakra granted by the fruit of the world trees above all else- had no idea what they'd just taken. Nor had they had any idea of what kind of power they were messing with.

"What are you going to do now, Miroku-sama?" the female guard behind the woman asked.

Upon assessing her condition and extending her senses beyond the reach of their world, the blonde maiden turned her gaze to the sky above. "I can track Shion through her bell. If she is anywhere within the general vicinity of the multisphere, I'll be able to find her. Those three were in a big hurry to leave, so that means they didn't plot their course correctly and left an obvious trail." She also then looked down at her hand and flexed her fingers. "When I came to this world centuries ago, I gave up my immortal body for that of a human one. Though I still possess the light of Vega, if I try to battle against those three at full power, I'll only be able to last about five to ten minutes at the least, before my body starts breaking down on me."

"But… will you be able to defeat them?" one of the other guards behind her asked.

Miroku sighed, "I don't know." After considering her limitations and what was at stake, the woman then thought of an alternative plan. "I'm gonna need help."

No Kage or shinobi on the world would be strong enough to even think about standing up against those three in battle. After all, they were beings from beyond the stars- celestials that traveled across dimensions, devouring and consuming worlds in their entirety. Much like her and her clan, Miroku knew that only another higher being would be able to defeat a higher being in battle. However, though there wasn't any humans on earth that were currently strong enough to face the Otsutsuki, there was one other person that she could ask that she knew would be able to assist her.

The thought had her swallow the lump that built up in her throat and had her frown inwardly.

"Looks like I'm going to be paying him a visit after all."

Though it was a stretch thinking that she would be able to get any help from _him_ , she had to at least try.

XXX

(Sometime later)

(Several dimensions away)

When Naruto awoke from his temporary coma following his brush encounter with his giant of an opponent, the youngster unexpectedly found his limbs locked up and unable to move. Eyes widening in surprise, the boy gritted his teeth and gave a few tugs against the bonds that were holding him, but was unable to budge an inch when his arms or legs failed to move. After a few more seconds of fruitless struggling, the child eventually gave up with a gasp, and quickly looked around at where he was.

To his complete and utter astonishment, the adolescent saw lying stretched out before him a barren land of absolute desolation and emptiness. As far as the eye could see, the landscape was dusty, bleak, and covered in sand. While the sky itself glowed with an orange-crimson hue- with a light scattering of clouds strewn across its ceiling- the land beneath it was brown and gold. Though the ground directly beneath him looked completely flat, further out from where he was bound Naruto could only see mountains, tors, and pillars of rock jutting out of the ground all the way into the distance.

It was only after analyzing these faraway aspects of land that Naruto soon realized that he was in fact bound to the side of what he initially thought was a cliff- with his arms and legs being held down by a series of branches. When he looked up to gauge the mountain that he was attached to, the child saw towering over him the colossal trunk of a huge tree reaching up into the lower levels of the planet's atmosphere.

If that wasn't bad enough however, when the boy gaped at the vessel reaching into the heavens, Naruto swore he could see the faint outline of a large, Saturn-like planet orbiting the sky above him, and was currently poking through the gaps in the clouds. The sight of it had the blond shake his head in disbelief.

"Oh man… this is bad," Naruto whispered, looking back down again with his eyes wide and his jaw slack. _"This is a bad dream… it has to be…"_ After biting his tongue a couple of times though in an attempt to wake himself up, the child soon discovered to his dismay that this was definitely not the case.

In measuring his position to the nearest platform of earth, which was sitting just a few meters away from him, the blond estimated that he was probably hanging about ten stories above it. That not only raised the question as to how he was actually put there, but the surroundings themselves made him wonder where the hell he was right now.

Obviously he wasn't in _Hi no Kuni_ or _Oni no Kuni_ \- lands both possessing a distinct blue sky and no other celestial bodies other than the moon floating above them. So where was he?

Exhaling sharply, the boy then went about inspecting the landscape again to see if he could gain some sort of bearing as to where he was. However, as Naruto gazed across the lightly lit landscape for a second time and saw the clouds of dust in the distance slowly thin out, the youngster squinted a little when he thought he saw a mountain in the shape of a hand jutting out of the land- as well as a face sitting on one of the cliff faces near it.

It was only after seeing the veil of smog in the distance vanish that Naruto saw them- humungous, humanoid figures the size of mountain ranges and entire villages, clad in massive stone armor, lying scattered across the entire country. Their limbs and bodies were laid out in random positions and poses, either on their backs, their sides, or their fronts, in a manner that indicated that they fallen to the ground after being killed in battle. That last fact alone was made even more apparent when on a couple of the giant bodies Naruto spied in the distance, he saw that they had been impaled by swords and spears.

The weapons themselves towered higher than any mountain the jinchuriki had any knowledge of back home, and it was obvious that the people who once wielded these tools were probably lying sprawled out across the super continent in front of him.

And it wasn't just one or two giant corpses littering the horizon either. There were hundreds of them, all of them lying sprawled out across the land for as far as he could see… and from where he was hanging crucified against the colossal tree, the boy could see pretty damn far.

"Okay… what the heck is all of this?" Naruto asked, at the same time starting to feel more and more uncomfortable with his situation by the seconds. "Where the hell am I?"

"You are on _Kamoto_ ," a voice suddenly spoke up, drawing Naruto's attention to his right where he suddenly saw the form of Urashiki float down from the sky to hover in front of him. With his legs crossed and hands in his lap, the pale-faced man put on a wide grin as he looked the boy square in the eye. "Formerly known as the ' _Realm of the Giants'_. It was one of the very first planets that our people arrived on in this part of the cosmos… and one of the first we transformed into a healthy crop. The inhabitants of this world, consisting of many noble warriors, went to war against us, and a great many on both sides ended up being slain during the conflict. But thanks to the copious amounts of blood that was shed, the carnage gave birth to the tree that you are now currently bound to, which we then harvested for its chakra fruits."

Naruto, slowly shaking his head at the man's story, was completely at a loss over what he was saying. "W-What? Giants? War? Planets? Harvesting chakra? I don't get it."

The child's response had Urashiki chuckle, "Of course you don't. You're just a lowly human child… a pathetic little ape from a backwater planet who is unable to fully grasp or even understand what the universe beyond his own is really like. At this point you barely have any comprehension of the power that you have resting inside of you."

"P-Power?" Naruto repeated. Was that the reason why he was brought here? Because he had something that these guys wanted? Of course it wouldn't be until a couple minutes later before he fully understood what Urashiki meant.

Hovering in closer, the lanky celestial with the horns arcing across his brow reached up with his hand and grasped the boy by the chin, which he then lifted with the edge of his fingers to look the kid right in the eye. "It's the very thing we came to _your_ world searching for. You see, many centuries ago, one of our kin named Kaguya Otsutsuki came to your Earth to seek out a rare tree possessing a vessel of great vitality… an energy source many in this universe call chakra. After a series of… _unfortunate circumstances_ … that chakra ended up spreading across your planet like a disease… infecting every single one of your kind and granting them the innate ability to manipulate this energy to varying degrees." Urashiki then shrugged casually and removed his hand from the child's chin, causing the boy to frown. "As it so happens, a good chunk of the chakra our kin managed to absorb from the fruit was split into nine individual bodies… entities that you humans now refer to as _Tailed-Beasts_."

The moment the celestial said this, Naruto's eyes widened in shock, as he then realized right then what the man was talking about. "You're… talking about the Kyuubi, aren't you?"

"Bravo. It seems you finally caught on," Urashiki exclaimed while floating back through the air.

Looking down for a moment, the blond youngster quickly snapped his gaze back up to the celestial in front of him. "You came to Earth… and took me to this planet… because… you want the biju inside of me?"

"Correct again," the skinny man said with a nod to the trapped Naruto. "Though to be more precise, we want all _nine_ of the biju that are hiding out on your planet. We just grabbed you first because you were the first one we picked up through our sensors, and the beast you carry is the strongest of them all. Once we extract it, my kin and I will have more than enough means to accelerate our operations. That means capturing the remaining eight biju, taking over your planet, and converting all the humans living on it into fresh stock for our future crop." Urashiki smirked while watching Naruto's expression twist into one of horror. "I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to the progress we'll be able to make in the upcoming future."

His body starting to shake when he heard for himself the disgusting plans this man had for his world and the people living in it, the initially terrified Naruto gritted his teeth and barked at the man. "NO! You leave my home _alone_! W-Why the heck would you want to destroy it?! We didn't do anything to you guys!"

Completely ignoring the child's shouting, Urashiki turned away from him. "Whether your kind did anything or not, it doesn't matter. What matters is that your world has a lot of chakra scattered across its surface and we want all of it. Plain and simple." Not even caring that Naruto had begun thrashing against his binds again, the skinny Otsutsuki then turned his gaze towards the mountain nearby and spoke up. "Hey! Momoshiki-senpai! Kinshiki-senpai! Have you made any progress with the girl yet?!"

Down on the tor just a few yards from where Urashiki was chatting with Naruto, both the celestial and the boy saw the other two Otsutsuki trying to make sense of the other person they'd brought along with them. However, even after all the time they'd had to assess the second child that they'd brought along with them, they'd been unable to get any information from her. Well… any worthwhile information. The only thing that they did learn after the last hour or so was that the blonde girl that'd been standing by the jinchuriki couldn't be touched without setting off the blasted spell that was protecting her.

This took the form of the tiny bell sitting on her kimono, which not only generated a quantum shield of light around her body, but also fired off powerful bursts of cohesive chakra beams that could slice through pretty much any matter. Kinshiki found this out the hard way when he tried striking the shield surrounding the girl with several of his red chakra weapons- only to watch all of them shatter against the translucent barrier, before a several streaks of light shot out of her accessory and cut his weapons to pieces.

As a result, the only thing the hulking Otsutsuki received for his troubles were several tears in his robe and a bunch of nasty cuts along his arm.

After attempting to reach for Shion, who he could see was currently kneeling on the floor in front of them with her arms wrapped tightly around her body in fright, Momoshiki was then forced to back up sharply when he saw the bell on her clothing gleam and fire off another counterattack. Managing to dodge the beam and prevent it from going through his skull, but instead getting his veil ripped by the streak, the leader of the group clicked his tongue in annoyance and angrily cast off his headwear.

"Damn it. What a stubborn barrier. This is starting to get really annoying," Momoshiki growled, at the same time glaring down at the female human child who they were attempting to dissect, but failing miserably. "What kind of technique is this?" Normally when facing a defense like this one, the Otsutsuki patriarch would simply apply the Rinne-Sharingan on his palm to the surface, and either shatter or absorb the obstruction. Yet for some strange reason, whatever chakra was protecting this girl from his efforts was not letting up. It was almost like it was alive.

"The light is incredibly potent," Kinshiki commented, at the same time looking across at his superior inquisitively. "It's made up of elements we haven't encountered before. Maybe that's why we are unable to syphon it."

Momoshiki again growled irritably, before turning away from the kneeling Shion. "I hate not knowing what I'm up against." He then spared the youngster a momentary glance, upon which he gave another quick assessment of her. "Clearly this is no ordinary human child. Though she is physically weak, the power that she possesses is something else altogether."

Whimpering a little under her breath, the shivering Shion looked between the two pale men towering over her. When she saw they were still glaring at her, the youngster gulped nervously. "W-What are you going to do?"

"Me? Nothing yet," Momoshiki replied, before turning his back on her. "I'll deal with you at a more convenient time. But for now…" He then levitated off of the ground and floated up to where Urashiki was hovering, who moved out of the way to allow the long-haired Otsutsuki through. This gave Momoshiki a clear line of sight to the diminutive Naruto, who had stopped thrashing about to stare at the celestial that was now in front of him. A smirk formed on the white man's lips. "I think I'll help myself to the chakra you have inside of _you_. Judging from the amount sealed inside your body, I'd say you will make a fine meal before our trek back to your planet."

Hearing this filled Naruto with a renewed sense of dread- a cold sweat running down his face and his eyes wide in terror as the Otsutsuki's shadow fell over him. Thanks to being completely bound and chained, the child could only watch as the man raised his gloved hand, showed off the enormous, ringed eye he had implanted in his palm, and held it a foot over his stomach.

Before Naruto could even ask what he was going to do, an orange bolt of electricity suddenly shot out of Momoshiki's eye ball and slammed into his stomach like a full-on gut punch. What followed from there was something the blond had never experienced before in his life, as what felt like a thousand needless suddenly started piercing the flesh around his belly, before starting to spread over his entire body. The pain that came from this was so intense and intrusive that it felt as though his flesh was being peeled right off of his body.

The moment the Otsutsuki's chakra started drilling into his stomach and through the seal beneath his jacket, Naruto let out a ear-splitting scream of agony, his body tensing up to such a degree that his bones almost cracked in multiple places from the pressure.

When she heard Naruto's howl of pain echo across the landscape, a terrified Shion scrambled to her feet and rushed towards where the boy was in panic. "NARUTO-KUN!" Unfortunately she was stopped by Kinshiki stepping in front of her and slamming a palm into her shield, which bounced her and the man back- and knocked the former onto her back.

Shaking off the burn that occurred on his hand when he stopped her, the hulking Otsutsuki growled at her. "You will watch this."

And so, with Shion lying on the ground- helpless and unable to do anything- the girl could only watch and listen to Naruto's screams of pain as the Otsutsuki began extracting the biju inside of him…

" _K-Kaa-san,"_ Shion whispered, clenching her eyes and ears shut, so as to try and stop her friend's cries from reaching her. But it was no use.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

If there was one thing that Miroku knew more about the man that she was looking for, is that he had really shocking taste in décor.

That fact became quite clear when she arrived at the front gates of what like some kind of stone temple that'd been carved into the face of a rocky mountain somewhere in the _Numa no Kuni_ (Land of Swamps). While the setup was indeed mysterious and eerie in its appearance, from the dragon statues decorating the archway to the terracotta soldiers standing guard along the steps and front, the High Priestess couldn't help that think that maybe the person she was seeking had gone a little over the top in designing his ideal _evil lair_. The layout of the fortress had the blonde woman shake her head as she casually began making her way towards the entrance and into the mountain hideout.

"Here goes nothing," Miroku whispered to herself, the thoughts of her daughter and her newfound friend spurring her on, and prompting her to tread further into this domain.

She had to save them at any cost… even if it meant asking _him_ for help.

Though she had no idea exactly what was going to happen at this meeting, Miroku knew above all else that she wasn't going to be receiving a warm welcome. This much became clear when, out of the blue, the terracotta statues at the front of the temple suddenly came to life- their once cold eyes flashing gold- as they then turned on the woman and drew their weapons.

The moment she saw the warriors bear their swords and spears at her, an unimpressed Miroku merely glanced in their general directions, before a series of golden beams shot from her forehead. It happened instantaneously. As soon as the beams cut through the air and vanished a split second later, the terracotta warriors that'd been stomping towards her suddenly fell apart and crumbled to the ground into individual piles of rocks.

Once the dust from them had settled, Miroku was once again allowed to carry on.

Entering the temple's opening corridor soon gave way to a large chamber that was five hundred meters wide, several fields long, and reached at least thirty stories high, and sat completely hidden from the light of the sun outside. With walls decorated by more dragon statues, and the floor on both sides covered with row upon row of hundreds and hundreds of stone warriors, the place was what any would call a tomb fit for an Emperor. Just like the ones standing guard at the front of the fortress, the inanimate soldiers here were standing completely still, at attention, and shoulder-to-shoulder, with their lifeless eyes focused on the walkway running through the hall from where Miroku stood to the other side.

Whether these ones would come to life just like the dozen out front was beyond the priestess, but she kept her guard up nonetheless.

Taking a deep breath as soon as she entered the poorly lit chamber, which was illuminated by only a handful of scattered torches and hanging lanterns, the woman in the newly adorned white and red shrine-maiden uniform marched across the chamber at a brisk place. Her kimono sleeves billowing at her sides, the brave Miroku kept her eyes set on the chamber ahead, which she saw was pitch black and completely devoid of any flames or objects of significance.

When she reached the edge of the shadow being cast by the darkness ahead of her about three hundred feet later, the priestess stopped and waited. Even though she was obviously an unwanted visitor to this house of haunting, Miroku still felt that she had to maintain a certain level of respect and politeness- as was befitting of an individual of her position.

Though of course the person she was visiting didn't exactly deserve it.

Speaking of which, about a few seconds after Miroku had halted at the edge of the darkness's threshold at the back of the great chamber, a low grumbling sound suddenly reverberated off of the stone walls around her. The voice echoing like a roar throughout the room of sadness and solitude, Miroku then watched patiently as a pair of enormous red eyes suddenly gleamed through the darkness and came to hover just a few yards in front of her.

Accompanied by a thick, smoky mist that seemed to waft through the air like flames, the pair of glowing irises moved a little closer to the unhappy visitor. From which the darkness slowly revealed that the eyes were attached to the face of an enormous and terrifying reptilian snout- which boasted the exact same size as the mug of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

When the dragon huffed, it caused a fierce gust of wind to blast against Miroku's face, who simply glared back at the monstrous beast as it glared down at her in a predatory fashion.

At that moment, the dragon spoke. _**"Miroku."**_

The High Priestess sighed, "Hello, Moryu."

" _ **Well… this is indeed a pleasant surprise,"**_ the demon continued, its tone laced with a clear sense of amusement at the sight of the woman now standing in his presence. _**"After all this time, you've finally decided to come pay me a little visit. To what do I owe the fine pleasure of your company today?"**_

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for but a moment, Miroku then looked up at the beast seriously. "This isn't easy for me to say. Frankly I still think I may have made a mistake coming to you, but I don't have any other choice." She then paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, before a steady breath left her lips. "I need your help."

Almost as soon as those words left her mouth, the dragon in front of her barked out with raucous laughter, which not only shook the chamber with its volume, but also caused the ceiling to crumble a little. Miroku let out a little sigh when a few bits of granite and dust fell on top of her, to which she then lightly brushed off of her shoulder with her hand. _**"HAHAHA! Now this is hilarious!**_ _You_ _ **have come to**_ _me_ _ **seeking**_ _my_ _ **help? Now what kind of problem has taken place in the world that would prompt you to come to me for assistance?"**_

"It is a matter of great urgency and importance," Miroku informed, narrowing her eyes on the current form of Moryu. "Could you please spare me the theatrics and listen to me seriously for just one moment?"

" _ **Why should I?!"**_ the demon suddenly barked back, causing another gale to hit the priestess in the face and ruffle her hair. _**"The last time I came asking for your help… for your strength… you didn't want to have anything to do with me! You told me that I was a fool... that my plans were nothing but folly. And when I asked you what it would take to bring you over to my side, you cast me out… treated me like a leper, and cut all ties you had with me. You may as well have wiped me clear from your memories."**_ As aggressive as he came off, Moryu was a little bit taken aback to see Miroku's emotionless reaction.

She didn't visibly respond to his words in any way, and only continued to stare at him with her cool, serious gaze. It was one that would intimidate even the best ninja around the world, but while this was only what she looked on the outside, the words she spoke next told a different story.

Glancing down, Miroku clenched her fists. "I know I hurt you… that I turned my back on you when you needed me… when you wanted to pursue your dream of creating a world with a long-lasting peace." She then quickly looked back up at the demon determinedly. "But conquering the Earth and all of humankind was not something that I wanted- not for me and most certainly not for my family. All I really wanted was to live a normal life with the people that I had, without looking down on or oppressing the people around me." When she saw Moryu's body fluctuate and his eyes narrow through the dark, the woman frowned. "To be able to choose what to do with the years that I have, to share in the happiness of those precious to me, and to live life honestly and with no regrets… that's what being human is all about. I only wanted _you_ to see that."

Her words were punctuated by her brave stare and the look in her eyes, something that had Moryu pause for but a moment as he glared down at the one person in his life who he knew the most. _**"You're still harking on about that nonsense, huh? Well… it doesn't matter anymore."**_ As his enormous, demonic form continued to waft and shimmer in the darkness, the red-eyed beast backed away and grunted heatedly. _**"After you threw me out of your life and chose the path of a mortal… I became free to pursue my dreams. I evolved. I transformed my body, and molded myself both physically and mentally into the perfect specimen you now see standing before you."**_

"I know." Miroku nodded when she looked him over. "You corrupted the light of Altair that once dwelt inside of you… the star of your old home world. Now the power of a black sun courses through your veins."

" _ **Yes. It was my choice,"**_ Moryu informed, without batting an eye. _**"A sacrifice made for the greater good-"**_

"At the risk of corrupting your soul and permanently transforming yourself into a bloodthirsty, tyrannical monster?" Miroku asked with a frown. "Allowing yourself to get pulled towards the darkness will only cause you to lose whatever sense of self you have left. Your heart, your mind, and your spirit will drown in sorrow… and end up being poisoned forever." From the way she said this, the priestess actually sounded as though she was expressing great concern for the demon, despite his current appearance. "You'll be lost."

Clearly the two had a shared history each other- one that could not be shaken off so easily.

" _ **And yet I feel stronger and more enlightened than ever before. Thanks to all my hard work and effort over the last decade, I have now become powerful enough to take my full battle standard across the entire Earth, and rule over it for the next hundred centuries- without ever tiring and without ever sleeping. There isn't a being alive capable of standing up to my might… and everything I once held dear I've long since scattered to the ethereal winds. So I ask you again… Miroku…"**_ His eyes narrowed on the woman once more. _**"Why should**_ _I_ _ **help you?"**_

Deciding not to beat around the bush any longer than she already had, as well as putting their discussion on the backburner for the time being, Miroku steeled herself and stepped forward. "Members of the main family of the Otsutsuki have come to Earth," the woman said, causing Moryu to visibly balk when she told him this, before she continued boldly. "They've kidnapped Shion."

His mist-like body shirking under the priestess's glare, the demon didn't say a thing or make a single sound. All he did was stare at the blonde woman in front of him as he allowed his mind to slowly process what she'd just said to him. It was a full minute later before any of them said anything and, despite Miroku being the calmest of them, it was Moryu who spoke first.

" _ **Are you sure it was them?"**_

"Positive." Miroku's jaw stiffened. "They came, they attacked my palace, and they stole her from right out under me. I barely had enough time to remove the first suppression seal on my powers to protect myself before they nabbed her." When she saw the dragon's face fade further in the darkness, the High Priestess shook her head.

" _ **But… that doesn't make any sense,"**_ Moryu replied, his voice losing much of its previously hard edge, and now sounding a little more shaky. Confused. Worried. _**"You said so yourself that the enforcers of the Otsutsuki family would not appear in this realm for another twenty or so years."**_

"Something in this timeline must've caused events to shift drastically out of alignment. Though I have no idea exactly how this situation came to pass, what is clear is that they are here… and they took my daughter with them to one of their harvested worlds. Though I still have my strength, I know in my current state I can't take all three of them on my own," Miroku said. When she saw the eyes of the demon looking back at her, the priestess then rolled her head to the side. "Look. I know that you and I parted on bad terms many years ago, and that you still haven't forgiven me for turning you away. But if we don't do something soon, not only will our lives be at risk, but the entire planet and its people will end up being slaughtered by these parasites."

For several moments, Moryu said nothing, instead just sitting there staring down at the priestess who was looking at him with a pleading glint in her pink eyes. The mist from his form continuing to pierce through the dark and billow into the light, the demon then waited to see if Miroku had anything more to say.

"Please, Moryu. You're the only one I have left that I can turn to," the High Priestess begged, bowing her head to him at the same time. "A long time ago you and I were… _well_ … we were close. But if any of the times we spent together _ever_ meant _**anything**_ to you, please… prove it now. Because if you don't, then our Shion-chan will-" She swallowed her tongue when she realized what she was going to say next. A fate worse than death befell her child. That much she knew. But to what extent she just didn't want to fathom.

But then, just when it seemed like Miroku had gambled all of her hopes on nothing, she suddenly felt a breath on her face and looked up. She then received a surprise when Moryu's draconic form emerged from the dark, and purple flames started to engulf him. The fire not only illuminated his part of the chamber, but the sheer massive form he was concealing inside the shadows.

When he knew he had Miroku's full and undivided attention, the demon-male spoke. _**"Where are they now?"**_

OOO

(Sometime later)

(Kamoto)

Back on the dead world where the three Otsutsuki family members had set up shop for the extraction of the biju's chakra, things were progressing at an agonizingly slow pace. At least from their perspectives.

Still hovering in front of the stricken Naruto with his hand outstretched and his eye activated, Momoshiki had a rather irate look on his face as he attempted to drain the chakra from the boy's body and convert it into a fruit. However, as the bolts of electricity leaving his hand continued to chip away at the seal across the boy's stomach, the celestial quickly found himself losing patience, as he was only getting tiny slivers of chakra from the enormous well that he could sense and see resting inside of the child's abdominal area.

What's more, the child's screaming and crying was starting to bug him, as he'd been doing nothing but that for the last few minutes.

Urashiki, who had also been floating in front of the child and observing, had quickly grown bored at how slow this entire thing was progressing, and decided to go down to where Kinshiki was standing to nap for a while. The sounds of Naruto's writhing and bawling didn't bug him as much as it did his comrade, as he was able to lay back with his hands behind his head, and count the minutes down to when Momoshiki finally managed to get the chakra out of the boy's stomach.

While all this was going on, Kinshiki had pretty much given up trying to smash through the chakra barrier surrounding Shion, and instead proceeded to watch his superior work on breaking the jinchuriki. This of course meant that their second captive- the little girl who they'd dragged along with Naruto- could only watch helplessly and listen as her friend was tortured and tormented by their intergalactic abductors.

Unable to block out the sounds of his pain, Shion just knelt there on the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks as she tried in vain to get the men to stop. But when Kinshiki blocked her way a fifth time as she tried crawling forward, the blonde girl shook her head and shouted through a now hoarse voice. "P-Please stop! You're hurting him!"

"That boy is just worthless human trash," Urashiki spoke up from where he was lying, at the same time peering over his shoulder at the child kneeling on the ground nearby. "Why cry over something so pitiful."

"It's the chakra inside of him that is most important to us," Kinshiki added at the end, his voice deep and lacking any emotion. "As is yours."

"Don't worry. We'll get to you soon enough. Just as soon as we've dealt with him," the lazy Otsutsuki spoke once again, causing Shion to shiver and collapse onto her hands.

Sobbing at her sheer powerlessness to do anything, with even her voice falling on deaf ears, the blonde youngster once more tried her best to get through. "I beg of you… please… stop. H-He's my friend…"

But, just like the other times she'd asked, her words were effectively ignored.

After another minute of trying to funnel his chakra into the boy's to weed out the Kyuubi, Momoshiki grunted and stopped. Cutting off the chakra flow from his hand, the man withdrew it and watched Naruto's body go limp and his head drop forward. Hearing the child cough before throwing up, the white-haired man grunted in an irritated manner.

"Tsk. This is taking too long," the Otsutsuki said, at the same time shaking his head. "The barrier surrounding the biju's cage is a lot stronger than I anticipated. It's almost like one of our own created it."

"Well, smashing it open with brute force clearly isn't working here," Urashiki said, sitting up to see his companion turn around to face him. After watching the keeled-over child splutter the rest of his breakfast out of his stomach and gasp for air, the pale-faced traveler from another world smirked and gestured towards the child observantly. "Perhaps you should try a different approach, senpai. Maybe a mind walk to assess exactly how tough the seal is?"

Pursing his lips momentarily as he marinated over the idea, Momoshiki then turned to the boy he was dealing with and gave him an intent glare. "Hmm… that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Reaching over and grabbing the boy by the hair- at the same time frowning in disgust at having to do so- the man lifted the dazed child up and looked him in the eye.

Expression groggy and pale from the amount of pain he had been subjected to so far, Naruto's eyes remained half-lidded as he looked into the face of the man that had been tormenting him. The amount of hell-biting agony he'd been subjected to over the last half-hour or so had been so excruciating, it was beyond words for him to describe how painful the entire ordeal was. He'd almost passed out several times from the sensations.

It didn't just feel like his body had been dumped in kerosene and then set on fire. It was more like someone had attached every nerve-ending in his muscles to wires, hooked them up to an outlet, and then switched on the power, before then submerging his body in boiling water to drown him.

That was the closest Naruto could get to reasoning what he'd just been through.

Unfortunately for him, his ordeal was not going to stop there.

Almost as soon as Naruto's vision cleared and he found himself staring into the face of the man who was torturing him, the child suddenly saw the man's left eye suddenly intensify, change red, and then develop several sets of outwardly rippling rings with rotating tomoe in them. The moment Momoshiki's eye transformed, the blond was suddenly hit by the unmistakable sensation of falling, as blackness suddenly overcame him.

OOO

(Mindscape)

When Naruto's eyes blinked open moments later, a cold numbness had engulfed his body. Shivering and trembling where he stood, it took about several moments for him to realize that he was actually able to move. Shaking his head and looking down at his hands, which he slowly flexed back into life, an echo behind him then drew his attention upwards, where he found himself standing in front of the giant, golden gate that was the Kyuubi's jail cell.

"Huh? Wha-… how did I-?" Naruto stuttered, not knowing how he managed to get there or what the heck was happening right now.

Able to see the giant orange, nine-tailed fox clearly standing behind the bars, Naruto watched in confusion as the gargantuan animal back away from him fearfully. Before he could ask the biju why he was acting like that, the blond quickly deduced that it wasn't him that the Kyuubi was moving away from, but from the person that was now standing behind him.

Following the shadow that'd been cast over his own, the whiskered-child spun around in alarm. When he did, he saw the unmistakable form of Momoshiki standing in the same sewer cave that they were, just a few feet away from him, and glaring up at the bars blocking the Kyuubi from him.

Needless to say, Naruto got quite a start when he saw the pale-faced celestial standing in the same space that he only visited in his dreams. The sight of the man actually had the blond backpedal in alarm, at the same time causing his heart to race at just how clearly he could see and sense the individual.

"H-How did you get in here?" Naruto asked.

Momoshiki, not even bothering to look down at the child, smiled a little after quickly studying his surroundings. "So… this is where you are hiding it? I must say, I'm quite impressed," the Otsutsuki leader informed, while casually glancing around the walls and analyzing the pocket-dimension's design. "Who knew a lower lifeform would be able to create a dimensional marble this elaborate. To be able to keep this much chakra stored away… must have taken a lot of work putting together." He then started to walk forward.

This being his dream world, Naruto immediately felt the cold sensation of intrusiveness encroaching upon his person. Backing up as he watched the Otsutsuki saunter forward, the blond then heard the sound of heavy breathing that was not his own and quickly looked behind him at the gate. Through the large iron bars, he saw the Kyuubi was trying to move away from the man that was approaching him, a clear sense of dread and fear plastered on his face as he did.

Baring his fangs at the man while his tails glared up dangerously behind him, the giant fox then gave a loud bark and shouted through the cell doors, _**"Stay away from me, you scum!"**_

"Scum?" Momoshiki repeated, the word leaving his lips in the form of a laugh. Clearly he was not at all intimidated or scared of the beast, which only went to confirm Naruto's fears that this man- or whatever he was- was not someone to be messed with. "That's big talk coming from a walking mass of chakra. It seems that whoever crafted you into what you are today thought it was a good idea to gift you with near-intelligence too. Heh. How amusing."

Growling even louder this time at the man's sleight towards him and the man he respected above all else, the Nine-Tailed Fox then yelled in fury. _**"I am not just a resource for you to use and dismiss however you please, you Otsutsuki worm! Don't take my power lightly! I can crush you like an ant anytime I want!"**_

"These are nothing but the frightened words of a primitive, mindless beast," Momoshiki replied, continuing to amble forward at a slow pace and causing Naruto to back away even more towards the gate they were approaching. "Your great power means nothing in the face of overwhelming control. I've come across thousands of entities like you before… and all their terrifying strength ever amounted to was naught but food for our cause. _You_ will be no different." When he said this, a clear look of fear appeared in the fox's eye. Having reached the very back of his cell, the Kyuubi found he was unable to move any further, and could lean against the wall as the Otsutsuki made his thoughts known. "But these are merely semantics. Right now, I think it's time I had a closer look at this lock."

" _ **N-No!"**_ the Kyuubi barked, at the same time swinging a paw out and smashing it against the bars. The act of which sent a shockwave rippling down the tunnel, which blasted Naruto and the Otsutsuki with a fierce wind. All in all however, his efforts yielded nothing. _**"GET BACK!"  
**_

"Stop your shouting, beast," Momoshiki chirped. "This will all be over shortly."

Naruto, having heard the conversation between the two as clear as day, looked between the celestial and the fox behind him. When he saw the biju glaring back at the pale man with a mixture of rage and fear on his face, with all his hair standing completely on end, the youngster quickly knew that things were bad. Of course, being the considerate child that he was, everything he heard Momoshiki say put a sickening feeling in the bit of his stomach, which in turn had him glare at the man in anger.

The only people he remembered every saying anything like that were the same people who gave him the cold shoulder back in his home village.

Their hate-filled eyes, their deprecating names for him, their snide comments, and the complete lack of empathy to his plight or acknowledgement of his existence, which brought nothing but sorrow and heartbreak to him every time he was reminded of his position in life. Though as hard as it was for Naruto to believe, but in that very moment, he felt that the Kyuubi- the being he viewed as the most powerful force on Earth and the greatest of all the nine biju- was feeling the exact same helplessness and misery that he himself felt every day of his life.

And that was something he was not going to let lie. Not as long as he was still alive.

So, bucking up whatever courage and anger he had in him to propel him forward, Naruto jumped in the way of the celestial and held his hands out. The sight of the child stepping into his path caused Momoshiki to stop and look down at the youngster with an eyebrow cocked in confusion. The Kyuubi was also thrown by this maneuver, which had the fox staring at the boy's back in alarm.

Baring his own teeth at the man, Naruto yelled at him. "You heard him! Get back, you pale-faced freak!"

Momoshiki recoiled a little at the boy's slang. "Excuse me?"

"What? Are you deaf and stupid? I said get back! You think I'm afraid of you? Huh? You kabuki-play reject?!" Naruto asked a little louder, saying whatever words that popped into his head that he felt were appropriate in insulting the being in front of him. "Why the hell would I be scared of a walking, pansy china doll wearing a wedding veil, bad makeup, and a nightgown?! That's not scary! Out of the three of us, you're by far the weirdest one in here! Maybe it's because you haven't been out in the sun for so long that you're as white as a ghost! Hell, I've seen rotting corpses with more life in them than you! A backed up toilet that was used three times in the last hour by people with diarrhea is more interesting than your ugly mug! Get lost!"

Blinking a couple of times at the space ahead of him as his mind slowly processed the string of insults the child just threw at him- which hilariously took a long time due to the fact that he'd never been called names before- the white-faced celestial then looked back down at the boy with a irked frown. "Why are you standing in my way? Are you seriously trying to protect that mass of chakra behind you?"

Naruto nodded, "You bet I am!" His answer had the Kyuubi blink, at the same time continue to stare down at the child in disbelief as to what he was doing. "So what?"

"That… _thing_ … is nothing more than a mindless slab of energy… an animal with no soul, destined for only one thing: to be consumed as a resource. A being like that isn't worth risking your life over, even though yours is just as meaningless in comparison," Momoshiki muttered back, at the same time frowning at the youngster deeply. "Get out my way and let me have him. I promise that if you do, I'll do my best to spare you from a pointless and humiliating death."

The Kyuubi, thinking that Naruto was going to give him up just like that, became even more dumbfounded when he saw the blond shake his head and hold his ground against the alien.

"Hell no! I'm not going anywhere, dattebayo! You won't kill _me_ and I won't let you get _him_! Because he's my _friend_!" Naruto barked, his voice echoing off the walls and stunning the largest figure in that room. Once again putting his signature grin on, the child then decided to take advantage of the moment and continue poking fun at the man invading his private space. "Now I'm only going to say this to your dumb ass once- take your threats, take your insults, take your weird, girly, toilet-bowl colored face, and take your two worthless friends… and PISS OFF!"

The blonde's display of bravery was actually so impressive that the Kyuubi couldn't help but gape at him. Whether it was because of what he said, his bravery, or his stupidity it was unclear. But whatever it was, it hit the giant fox right where it hurt, and it was a feeling that wasn't going away any time soon.

Eye twitching at the child's impertinence and his continuous references to his appearance, Momoshiki decided he'd had enough.

With speed and dexterity greater than the blonde could even track, the white leader of the invaders suddenly grabbed Naruto by the throat and lifted him off of the solid floor of water. The moment he held the child and began throttling him in the air, the shocked Kyuubi moved forward and gritted his teeth, his red eyes glaring through the bars as he saw the boy- who selflessly defended him without hesitation and who'd stood up to torture to the three celestials- start to get strangled in front of him.

To be honest, the Kyuubi didn't think that something like this would be possible, especially in the child's psyche. But these invaders were continuing to surprise him.

"Enough!" Momoshiki snapped, ignoring the fact that Naruto was now grabbing his wrist and throwing kicks into his forearm in an effort to get him to let him go. As the sounds of the blond gagging echoed throughout the sewer, the celestial growled. "I wasn't planning on killing you, for fear of losing the chakra entity you carry inside your body. But I don't care anymore. You've hindered my efforts for the last time." He then leered menacingly as he watched the child in his grip attempt to gasp for air, but to no avail. "You'll be the first mortal I ever break mentally. I bet seeing your spirit perish right here inside your own body will be a moving and spectacular sight."

Naruto, not knowing how he was suffocating in a room in his own dream state, continued to gasp and kick fruitlessly at his captor in an attempt to break free. But as the seconds passed and the celestial's grip on him only seemed to tighten, the blond felt his consciousness beginning to fade, and a darkness beginning to encroach upon him. Even the lights in the chamber around him also started to dim, with the Kyuubi's head snapping about in alarm when he saw the world containing him starting to compress and crumble.

For one brief moment, it seemed like it was all over, with Momoshiki grinning at seeing the boy's writhing begin to settle.

But then, out of the darkness, a series of golden chains suddenly shot out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, these long, glowing lengths of steel wrapped around the Otsutsuki's arms, legs, body and neck, with the one that snaked around his throat yanking back sharply and causing the man to give a choked yelp. Eyes widening, Momoshiki looked behind him in shock to see what'd snagged him.

"W-WHAT?!" the celestial shouted in a strangled voice. "Who's there?!"

Unfortunately he didn't get an answer. Because the next thing the extra-terrestrial knew was his body suddenly being pulled off his feet and dragged into the darkness, the act of which causing him to let Naruto go.

When the child crashed to the floor, he grabbed his throat and coughed on sweet gulps of air, before looking up to see where his foe had gone. He managed to look up in time to see the Otsutsuki scream as he was dragged into the shadows, a split second before a flash of light from down the tunnel the celestial was dragged into blinded him.

OOO

(The real world)

Momoshiki withdrew his hand from the boy's head back sharply, giving a shout of alarm when he was forcibly thrown out of the mind-walk. When he was, he glared down at the child in disbelief, whose head he saw roll forward in a clearly still unconscious state. Despite this though, it was clear the leader of the band of cosmic invaders was caught completely off guard by what'd happened.

Even Kinshiki and Urashiki, who'd watched their companion's actions closely from on their cliff-side platform, were a little bit confused at seeing him pull out of the link.

"What the hell was that?!" Momoshiki asked out loud, his eyes snapping from his hand to the boy repeatedly.

Of course, for the second time in a row, the Otsutsuki's question would go completely unanswered. Before he could shake the child out of his unconscious state and interrogate him for information, the white-faced parasite's head and eyes snapped skyward in alarm when he sensed something approaching at high speed. It was the instant he looked up he saw a woman with blonde hair, and wearing a white and red shrine-maiden uniform, looming directly over him with her face right in front of his- her eyes wide and expression alight with raw fury.

This wasn't even counting the fact that she was wielding a khakkhara staff composed completely out of golden light in her left hand, which she was now thrusting down at Momoshiki in time with her dive.

Shion, spotting the woman appear over the airborne Otsutsuki hovering in front of Naruto, gasped before crying out at the top of her lungs, "KAA-SAN!"

Recoiling in shock, Momoshiki moved out of the way just in time to dodge the woman's swing, her attack leaving an arc of pure light that would've easily carved him in two. This of course turned out to be a feint, as Miroku aimed the follow-through of her swing towards the tree binding the comatose Naruto, and cut through all the branches holding him down in a flurry of movements. The instant he was freed, the woman grabbed the boy, planted her feet against the side of the trunk, and kicked off of it.

The act of which caused a sonic boom to ring out that punched a sizable hundred-foot divot into the dead _Shinju's_ side as she propelled herself towards the stunned Kinshiki and Urashiki in the form of a golden bolt. The pair of Otsutsuki separated as quickly as they could when the streak of light cut across their peak and snatched up Shion, not only leaving a trail of dust in her wake but also causing the rock to split in two from the shockwave that chased after the woman.

In the span of literally three seconds, Miroku had managed to rescue both Naruto and Shion, with the woman's golden form stopping on a towering bluff a hundred yards away from the crag the Otsutsuki had previously been standing on. Skidding to a stop after her lightning fast blitz of the field, the High Priestess- dropped in a low stance with Naruto and Shion held securely under her arms- glared across at the three airborne Otsutsuki with her eyes brightly lit with chakra.

Coming together after avoiding the attack from their unexpected visitor, the three Otsutsuki floated down to the damaged cliff and stood at its edge. When they did, Momoshiki and his two surprised compatriots glared at the female that'd rudely interrupted their ritual.

Urashiki was the first to make a comment when he recognized the blonde, raising an eyebrow as a result. "Wait… that's the human female that Kinshiki-senpai laid out back at the temple on Earth."

"How did she get here?" Momoshiki growled, obviously not in the mood for anymore interruptions.

"Don't know." Figuring that things were going to get a little rough, especially after that little power flex from the priestess, Urashiki thrust his hand out and conjured out his energy rod, which spun out from behind him and landed in his grip in a stylistic manner. "Let's ask her." His action was copied by Kinshiki, who summoned his axe out of the arc of red chakra that appeared behind his back again.

While the Otsutsuki were busy trying to figure things out and ready themselves for battle, Naruto, who had previously been completely limp, blinked back into consciousness. Looking up with a start, the youngster quickly looked around to see what was going on and where he was. It was a few glances before his eyes landed on the woman who was carrying him. When his vision cleared and he saw that it was Miroku who was holding him this time, the jinchuriki gulped nervously.

"Uhh… w-what happened?" Naruto stuttered.

"Kaa-san! You're here!" Shion cried out in joy, throwing her arms around her mother's waist and hugging her tightly. Her action drew a giggle from the priestess, who beamed briefly down at her child to see her look up at her with tear-stained cheeks and watery eyes. "I… I can't believe it!"

"It's alright, Shion-chan. You're safe now," Miroku whispered back, before quickly turning her attention to the Otsutsuki and glaring fiercely at them. "I won't let them lay a hand on you or Naruto-kun again."

Realizing that they were still stuck in this precarious situation, Shion spared a brief glance to the intergalactic invaders and studied them for a second. This then led to her shaking her head and turning to her mother in confusion. "How did you find us?"

"Your bell. I tracked you through the seal I imprinted on it when I first gave it to you," Miroku answered, without even having to think about it. Clearly she had all her attention fixed on fighting the three aggressors and protecting her two charges. "I said it would protect you… and it did."

"Y-Yeah," Shion mumbled, looking down at the trinket she currently had with her before beaming once more at her mother. "It did." Naruto meanwhile just dangled where he was, with memories of his torment at the hands of the Otsutsuki's leader meaning it was taking a while for him to regain his bearings.

Deciding that they'd spent enough time facing off, Momoshiki decided to make the first move and, activating his _Byakugan_ , attempted to open up a dimensional rift to get behind the woman and take her out. When he focused his chakra on the space in front of him and all he got was a transparent gold ripple that shimmered through the air, the celestial recoiled in surprise before fixing a harsh glare on the priestess.

Lowering both Naruto and Shion to the floor, the ever-vigilant woman then stood up and spoke loudly to the three invaders. "Sorry. But I erected a quantum-field barrier around this entire world… effectively sealing this planet inside a reality marble of my own making." She then smirked when she saw that she had the Otsutsuki's attention. "You guys aren't going anywhere… not unless I say so. That means your teleportation jutsu won't work here."

"Human pest," Momoshiki growled, before leaning forward and yelling angrily down at the priestess. "You have a lot of nerve jumping in like that. Do you have any idea who you're up against?! Who you're so brazenly defying?!"

Miroku nodded as she gazed up at the intergalactic parasites. "I do."

"Okay. And what makes you think that you have the strength to stand up to the three of us?" Urashiki asked, swinging his rod over his shoulder and grinning menacingly at the female that was now choosing to confront them. "As cute as that little light show of yours was, do you really believe _you_ have the power to defeat a group of higher beings such as _us_ , all by yourself?"

This was another question that was easy for Miroku to answer, which led to the woman smiling and shaking her head once. "Nope." Her simple answer had the three Otsutsuki look at one another in confusion and surprise. That was until the priestess's grin widened before she cocked her head to the side and finished what she was saying. "That's why I brought a contender."

Before the three pale-faced chakra thieves could figure out what she meant by this, they were suddenly caught off guard by the plate of earth they were standing on shuddering violently. A loud rumbling sound then echoed out across the entire countryside, with even Naruto and Shion yelping loudly when the mountain they were on also shook from the vibrations generated by the anomaly.

A few seconds after the first tremor, the plateau that Momoshiki, Kinshiki and Urashiki were on suddenly fractured and exploded behind them. When the trio lost their footing by the mountain's floor literally imploding beneath them, the group was then caught completely off guard when a massive hand- spanning the same size of a full village block- suddenly jutted out of the ground and snatched up the being nearest to it. This turned out to be Kinshiki, who gave a startled cry of pain when he was suddenly locked inside the vice-like grip of the appendage.

Urashiki and Momoshiki could then only look on in shock as they saw the clenched fist lift up and the arm that it was attached to emerge with the rest of the body.

As it quickly turned out, the entire area that they'd been standing on had actually been the burial site for one of the giant warriors that'd been inhabiting this planet. Having ended up buried by mountains of dirt and rock during one of the many battles that'd taken place on this world eons ago, the body had ended up being completely concealed from sight. The giant _Shinju_ that'd also appeared as a result of the chaos and had been the very thing that Naruto had been bound to just minutes ago, had also helped in covering up the massive body. Coincidentally, it'd also served as an effective tombstone for whatever poor soul had managed to fall on that spot.

But, like the copious amounts of earth that'd been dumped on top of it, even the colossal, titan of a tree ended up collapsing when the giant- following a two-thousand yearlong nap- suddenly awoke from its deep slumber. And what a resurrection it was.

The country literally quivered as the hulking titan lying beneath the mountains rose up, sending rubble and dust blasting across the countryside for miles around. As hills, plateaus, and mountains collapsed and caved under the massive shower of debris that fell from the humanoid's body, everyone who was present to watch the reveal literally had their stunned gazes turn towards the clouds, as the now undead giant rose to full height above the landscape.

When the dust faded and settled around the titan's body, the destruction and mayhem revealed a creature that towered over a hundred stories into the sky. Still covered in the plated armor he had fallen in centuries ago, the rotten, slightly decaying, yet still remarkably intact giant corpse, complete with a helmet, beard, and sword embedded in its chest, gave a very low and very deafening growl as it rocked its previously motionless limbs back and forth. As if testing its muscles to see if they were still functional, the lumbering colossus then held up the Otsutsuki it'd managed to grab and glared down at him.

After raising Kinshiki to eye-level, the towering zombie then opened its lids- and revealed a pair of glowing red irises blazing beneath the shadow of its brow. The moment the light from its windows landed on the white celestial it had trapped between its massive fingers, a loud, booming voice then reverberated from its rotting mouth. When its jaw unhinged and moved to speak, black, flame-like smoke spewed forth and wafted into the air.

" _ **Look at what I just caught,"**_ the terrifying voice of Moryu echoed loudly across the continent, leaving Kinshiki absolutely petrified as he stared back at the spotlight-sized eyes of death.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	5. Otsutsuki Arc - Gods and Demons Part II

**Author's Note:** Yo. I know there has been a bit of controversy over people saying stuff like "AAAH, MORYU WAS BEATEN BY PRE-SAGE NARUTO AND SHION, THERE'S NO WAY HE'S AS STRONG AS KINSHIKI OR THE OTSUTSUKI" & "You're wanking Moryu and the priestess, there's no way they're that strong" and all that nonsense. But bear with me for a moment while I lay down some important points.

 **Number 1** – Momoshiki- who is supposedly this ungodly, big, super bad guy, who is stronger than Kaguya, Juubi Obito and Juubi Madara- all of whom completely wiped the floor with entire armies and every single Kage-level ninja they came up against- was pretty much beaten and killed by Boruto- _a Genin_. Even if you love the Boruto series, you can't deny that that is complete horse shit piled up on top of another stack of equally smelling horse shit, which was left marinating in a toilet for about a few weeks. Even if he was helped by Naruto and Sasuke (and maybe even Toneri, though I just don't see how that makes any sense), I still don't see how that was possible.

To me, this is like giving the kill shot from Super Saiyan God Goku to Yamcha.

 **Number 2** – I honestly don't believe Momoshiki and co are as strong as they are hyped up to be, especially if a group of Kage are able to put them on the defensive- two people who are supposedly more powerful than Madara Uchiha. They even damaged Kinshiki to the point he was absorbed by Momoshiki. Honestly.

 **P.S** \- I don't give two shits about any novels or expanded material outside of the manga/anime (movie/show or otherwise) that I've seen, so anyone who tells me Momoshiki or Kinshiki wiped out an entire universe in a novel is bullshit and I don't care. Planet, yes. But universe, no? Especially when I saw Kinshiki get thrashed and Momoshiki get man-handled by the Kage in the movie on that dead planet.

 **The main reason why I wrote Miroku and Moryu to be this strong is to balance the playing field, because everybody- especially Momoshiki, Kaguya and Kinshiki- become so OP afterwards to the level of DBZ that it's beyond belief and common sense.**

 **Number 3** (Frankly, there shouldn't even be a number 3, because the fact in number 1 is literally bullshittery of the highest order in any story EVER, especially involving characters who are as ridiculous as any OC created in fanfiction) – I acknowledged I'm stretching Miroku's and Moryu's abilities a bit in writing this story, but keep in mind the notes I left in the previous chapter. Both Miroku and Moryu's full capabilities or characters weren't fully fleshed out or explored in a Shippuden flick that was only an hour long, they're clearly not human, one of them nearly took over the entire world at one time and could only be stopped by one person with a certain ability- meaning he has very few if not any weaknesses- one of them was able to resurrect an immortal stone army with just a bit of his chakra, and that same person KILLED Naruto in another reality.

It takes a lot of effort to kill someone like Naruto- even Pre-Sage Mode. Though people may argue otherwise, the simple fact of the matter is that he and Sasuke are protected by plot-and-convenience armor. And that's saying something.

* * *

 **Naruto**

 _ **ONI**_

 _Gods and Demons Part II_

Needless to say, Momoshiki and Urashiki were completely stumped by what they were now confronted with. Here they were, two celestial beings possessing copious amounts of power, standing on a world that'd been utterly decimated by their predecessors several millennia ago, surrounded by a sea of giant corpses and an endless desert, stretching out in all directions. Being completely isolated from the rest of creation, this was for all intents and purposes the perfect hideaway for them to conduct their business, without fear of interruption or confrontation. After taking Naruto and Shion here, it was easy to assume that the aggressors from space felt pretty safe and secure with their quarry.

However, after a rather slow start in their attempts to harvest the chakra from the two human children that they'd managed to snag from the planet known as Earth- which had been a rather smooth effort on their part- they now suddenly found themselves confronted by a beast that was, in a few short words, absolutely humungous.

This foe turned out to be one of the many giant corpses that were littering the planet's surface- this one in particular having been buried beneath the roots of the dead _Shinju_ , which until just recently had been standing proudly atop their mountain, jutting up into the red sky like a glorified monolith. It wasn't just the fact that the giant's corpse had managed to knock over the tree just by standing up that astonished them, but the fact that it was alive and moving in the first place, and had also managed to grab Kinshiki in its massive, powerful hands without any effort.

Their ancestors had told them that the giants they'd battled were strong. As to how strong they had been was beyond them. But the most alarming thing now wasn't just the fact that the colossus of a humanoid was now standing upright after being dead for the last two-thousand or so years, and almost dwarfed the tree that had been used as its tombstone, but that it looked as though it had been possessed by some kind of evil, demonic force from another world.

They didn't need any thorough analysis or extra-sensory abilities to tell them that this fiend was strong, as the pores of the giant corpse were literally permeating with the black mist of whatever demon was now inhabiting and controlling its body.

To be frank, their situation had just turned from mind-numbingly tedious to downright terrifying in the span of only an hour.

Similar reactions of disbelief could be seen framed on the faces of both Naruto and Shion, who were currently staring up at the gargantuan, undead titan from where they were kneeling beside a surprisingly calm Miroku- who currently had a big smile on her face as she watched the giant strangle one of their Otsutsuki foes in a death grip.

Speaking of which, Kinshiki, who'd managed to get himself grabbed by the surprisingly fast creature, attempted to worm his way out of the giant's hand. The moment he tried to do so however, the hulking zombie simply started tightening his grip and squeezing the life out of its prey. The act of which not only caused the celestial's muscles to pop and bones to creak from the pressure, but also caused the man to cough out blood when his internal organs started to get crushed.

A deep, throaty chuckle left the Moryu-possessed-giant, as the red-eyed behemoth glared down at the struggling Otsutsuki. _**"Uncomfortable? Here. Let me fix that for you."**_ Stepping back with its massive foot, the titan slowly cocked back its arm, took aim at the horizon, before pelting the Otsutsuki towards the distant mountains.

The giant's throw was marked by a deafening shockwave as his throw literally broke the sound barrier and sent the hapless Kinshiki shooting off across the literal curvature of the planet. About a few seconds after letting the white, human-sized baseball loose, Moryu then watched in satisfaction as the Otsutsuki struck one of the edifices in the distance with a mighty bang. The opponent's impact was marked by a huge explosion of dust and rubble, as the entire mountain practically imploded around the celestial's body and collapsed on top of him. The force from his landing traveled a dozen more miles, decimating a couple mountains behind the initial one and sending a wall of debris billowing into the sky.

Upon watching their comrade get rag-dolled towards the Eastern hemisphere of their planet, Momoshiki and Urashiki quickly turned back to their foe, who they saw snap its attention towards them and gleam its blood red eyes on their position.

All of a sudden, the two Otsutsuki on the ground saw the giant's stone, samurai-style helmet explode, and eight curved horns suddenly jut out of its skull. The moment the black, steel-like appendages emerged, the zombie-giant gave a low loud roar and caused two of its horns to unexpectedly extend, curve, and shoot straight down towards the pair.

The alarmed celestials quickly jumped out of the way, abandoning their perch on the half-destroyed plateau in time to watch it get smashed to pieces by the two horns that impaled it. From there, the duo were then forced into a hasty retreat, taking flight across the landscape in two separate directions when the horns suddenly curved where they struck the mountain and chased after them. This was then followed by the other horns that'd sprouted from the giant's skull also extending and, like the tentacles of a kraken, began shooting after the Otsutsuki at high speed.

Miroku, Naruto and Shion watched from a distance as the landscape started collapsing and exploding around the towering giant, its tentacles flailing about its head as it attempted to impale or cut its two targets in half. But even though its horns were fast- even faster than lightning bolts- the two Otsutsuki proved marginally more nimble, and managed to stay just out of reach of its appendages.

After circling and leaping around the giant for several seconds, Momoshiki and Urashiki quickly pulled back, and tried to put as much distance between themselves and their quarry. When the former took flight to dodge two of the tentacles, the latter celestial was forced to backpedal and backflip as fast as he could when the giant decided to turn all of its attention onto him. The landscape in Urashiki's wake was utterly annihilated when the horns stretched and chased after him, impaling the floor like a glorified, tactical artillery strike in an attempt to catch him.

After getting to about ten kilometers away, the horns ceased their pursuit of the celestial and quickly retracted back to their host.

Landing on the peak of a distant tor, the slightly winded Urashiki gritted his teeth and kept his energy rod at the ready. "Damn. What a troublesome opponent." Not only were its horns heavy and deceptively flexible, they were also quick and could be controlled freely at long range.

Turning his attention away from Urashiki, the growling, possessed-giant refocused his efforts on Momoshiki, who he spotted flying about the sky nearby. Red eyes flashing menacingly, the bearded titan then sent all eight of its horns shooting towards the celestial, intending to spear him while he was airborne.

Seeing the horns flying at him, Momoshiki quickly dodged the opening barrage, before beginning a graceful, aerial ballet as he started evading the next attacks to follow. After avoiding another dozen stabs and thrusts from the eight-mile long appendages, the Otsutsuki decided to activate his _Byakugan_ , and started scanning their foe for any weak spots.

Momoshiki was surprised to see the entire giant's body glowing with an enormous mass of black and purple chakra, which seemed to be just as potent if not greater than the one the jinchuriki was carrying. Isolating the energy to a single spot where it was accumulating the most, the long-haired celestial deduced that that was where the source was and, plotting a straight course towards the foe, dodged another wave of attacks before flying right at the hulking beast.

Bringing his hand back as he dodged and rolled through the hail of horn attacks, Momoshiki closed in on the giant's head and gritted his teeth. _"This thing is a menace at long range. I have to get closer to it. Since its chakra is being concentrated around its head, if I hit it there, I can kill it!"_ He thought this while kicking off of one of the giant's extended horns and propelling himself even faster towards its head, which it could see hovering just a few yards away. Approaching its cheek, the man prepared to deliver a devastating palm strike. _"It's over!"_

It seemed like a quick and easy kill. But what Momoshiki would find out seconds later was that defeating this beast was going to prove more difficult than he realized.

Just when Momoshiki was about to come within striking range of his target, the giant's head then did something completely unexpected. Like a scene taken straight out of a horror movie, the titan's face suddenly split open at the mouth and chin, its jaw literally unhinging and allowing a large, purple, dragon-like snout to shoot out of its throat and open its jaws. This second serpent head was made up of seven other overlapping mouths- similar to that of a worm but in reverse- each one lined with razor-sharp teeth, and stretching open to reveal a throat lined with teeth as well.

This disgusting, horrifying thing appeared almost instantaneously and prepared to swallow the approaching Momoshiki whole- the latter of whom gave a startled gasp before abruptly changing course. The celestial managed to dodge just in time to avoid the monstrous jaws from clamping down around him and turning him into mincemeat, with the long-haired male diving down to ground level and landing beneath the giant's shadow.

The Otsutsuki then looked up at the creature with a start. "What?"

At that moment, Momoshiki, Urashiki, Naruto and Shion then watched in morbid shock as the giant's body suddenly started to come apart in several key places. Its once muscular arms and massive hands split open and disintegrated, revealing a series of multiple, large dragon heads hiding underneath, which writhed and coiled through the air like tendrils. These extra purple and black extremities hissed and screeched the moment they burst out of the corpse's limbs, with the snout that was protruding from the titan's unhinged mouth also taking on more of a serpentine shape. What's more, from the back of the giant's pelvis, six large tails composed of the same black and purple flesh shot into view, before beginning to whip through the air behind the zombie in an aggravated manner.

Naruto shivered where he sat as he gazed up at the monster, a rather queasy sensation gripping his stomach when he saw bits of the giant's rotting flesh fall away in places. "What the heck is that thing?" It was probably the scariest thing he'd ever seen in his entire life, and he literally had a massive red fox sealed inside of him. "Why is that giant monster helping us?"

Hearing the child's question loud and clear, Miroku turned to the children and smiled at them- as if the entire scene taking place in front of her was no big deal. "Oh. That's Moryu… an old friend of mine."

"A… friend?" Shion stuttered, her terrified eyes looking up at her mother in shock. How could her mother be friends with a creature like that? As far as she was concerned, all her mother ever did was give advice to struggling villagers and perform the occasional jutsu.

"Well… I wouldn't exactly call him a _friend_ ," Miroku began to correct, at the same time looking back up at the giant made up of a nest of dragons and tentacles. "To you, I guess you could call him _father_."

This bit of information had both Naruto and Shion gape at the woman, their eyes turning into white circles from the shock. It took a while for their heads to finish processing what was said to them, before the young girl looked down at her companion in disbelief.

"M-My papa?" the girl whispered, her voice breaking when she said this.

Naruto shook his head when he heard her say this. _"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder."_ Now he was starting to think that he was still asleep and this was all just a crazy nightmare.

Upon modifying the body he was fighting it, Moryu gave a loud cackle as his multiple sets of red eyes focused on the two Otsutsuki positioned around him. _ **"HAHAHAHAHA! I'm going to enjoy devouring you little insects!"**_ Whipping about on the spot and causing the landscape to tremble from the weight of his footsteps, the enormous, mutated titan when whipped its right arm of dragon heads out and sent them extending towards Urashiki at high speed.

Gasping, the celestial quickly sprang into the sky and avoiding getting both eaten and struck when the serpent arms pulverized the tower of rock he'd been crouching on. Avoiding the shower of earth and rock, Urashiki took flight into the sky in an effort to avoid further attacks.

Moryu meanwhile, as he was retracting his right arm, quickly turned his attention to the grounded Momoshiki and directed his other appendages onto him. However, instead of lashing out with the seven sets of teeth on his left limb or the horns on his head, the demon instead opened all the mouths available on his person and began gathering chakra into them. Blinding pink lights began emanating from the individual dragon mouths, including from the gaping maw of his main head- a sight that visibly alarmed the Otsutsuki when he sensed an enormous surge of power gathering from the demon.

" _Shit,"_ the celestial cursed.

Miroku, also sensing the danger, quickly picked up both Naruto and Shion, and sprang off of their mountain peak. "Off we go!" She moved so quickly that the children barely had time to yelp.

The moment the High Priestess began putting distance between them and her ally, the mutated Moryu let loose his attacks. A deafening roar of thunder rang out as the multiple dragon heads protruding from the undead giant unleashed several purple energy beams simultaneously, which ripped through the air at blazing speeds towards their target. Momoshiki managed to leap into the air in time to dodge the first salvo aimed at his platform, which incinerated the mesa in a shower of a stone and molten earth.

When the flames produced by the impacting blasts began to kick up after the retreating target, the long-haired celestial held out his right hand and activated the _Rinne-Sharingan_ in his palm.

" _Fool. I'll just absorb your chakra,"_ the Otsutsuki thought, his hand-eye flashing red the moment the purple flames hit him, and visibly began to assimilate the energy through the iris. But just when the space traveler thought he was going to get a massive power boost from Moryu's attack, Momoshiki suddenly felt a stinging sensation run up his entire arm as his fingers and hand started to turn black. "GAH! What in the-?!"

Cutting off flow to the chakra he was absorbing, the Otsutsuki quickly retreated from the billowing flames as fast as he could. As explosions tore apart the ground near the colossal Moryu's feet and decimated the surrounding valley, Momoshiki landed on a plateau about a kilometer from the demon's position and looked down at his right hand. Sweat dripped down the pale invader's face when he instantly saw that the entirety of his hand had started to rot and wither from the inside-out- a clear sign of rapid cellular necrosis. Even the Rinne-Sharingan in his palm was pulsing with black veins, which were clearly a result of the chakra he'd tried to absorb.

" _Impossible,"_ Momoshiki thought, gritting his teeth before turning his attention across the landscape to where his comrade was. "URASHIKI! ITS CHAKRA IS TOXIC! DON'T TAKE IN ANY OF IT!"

"You're kidding me, right?!" his companion called back, landing on another tor to dodge the beam fired from one of the dragon's on the giant's left hand. Crouching low on it, the man with the energy rod growled in frustration. "Then how the hell are we supposed to- AAAGH!" Urashiki was unable to finish, leaping off of the rocky outcrop to dodge the next barrage of laser blasts fired by the multi-headed demon.

Laughing maniacally as purple flames belched from his throat, the giant Moryu whipped his multiple heads around and seemingly began firing purple blasts off indiscriminately. In reality however, each of his dozen or so serpent appendages began tracking and chasing the Otsutsuki scattered across the countryside, his attacks streaking and scraping across the land at terrifying speeds and distances. _**"HAHAHA! THAT'S RIGHT, PIONS! RUN!"**_ the large demon cackled, at the same time taking aim at the distant Momoshiki and firing off another volley of deadly purple beams. _ **"I am the arbiter of your nightmares! THE MASTER OF YOUR EVERY WAKING HORROR! AND THE BLIGHT OF YOUR VERY PITIFUL EXISTENCES! I AM MORYUUUU!"**_

Though the demon's booming exclamations and deep voice seemed cool and terrifying from his opponents' perspectives, for Miroku watching with the two children on a mountain a safe distance away, the woman could only shake her head.

A sigh left the High Priestess's lips, despite seeing the entire horizon light up from a series of repeating, gargantuan explosions that formed a literal wall of purple fire against the sky. _"That idiot. He's still as cheesy as ever…"_

Darting across the country at blitzing speed, his form turning into a barely discernable white blur, Momoshiki dodged and avoided the hail of blasts that came chasing after him. Running so far across the country that Moryu had become nothing but a speck in the distance, the man continued to dodge energy beams and fire balls, which continued to be launched from the colossal demon's many dragon heads.

Even Urashiki was doing his best to stay out of line of the lasers that were fired after him, using his energy rod to swat a couple of them away as a result.

The sheer amount of destruction Moryu rained down on the planet's surface was astronomical. The streaks of light being fired from the demon could literally be seen from orbit of the planet, with their impacts causing trails of explosions to run along the ground in random directions. One tracking shot fired from the main head of the multi-headed dragon cut down an entire mountain range on the horizon, incinerating the giant corpse that was also there, and sending a purple blast of flames shooting into the planet's upper atmosphere- similar in effect to a geyser.

With no other people, civilizations, or villages to worry about like he had to on Earth, and with the full power of his black chakra pumping through his veins, Moryu was free to cut loose and unleash his full might upon their adversaries.

While Momoshiki was being chased by a majority of the demon's attacks- during which he ended up being clipped by a beam and sent crashing into a random hillside with a yelp of pain- Urashiki, after finally managing to shake off the beast's attacks, landed on the peak of another mountain with a giant's skull sticking out of it. Gasping for air after his planet-wide run, the man crouched down low on top of the edifice, and watched with great intent as more volcanic-like explosions of purple fire ripped across a distant part of the continent.

The sight of the calamities raging before him had Urashiki shake his head in disbelief. "What a monster. In all the years we spent traversing the many realms of this cosmos, I don't think we've ever come across anything like this before." A bead of sweat then ran down the side of his temple. "This is not going to be an easy fight."

As Momoshiki continued to be chased by the monster's searing hot attacks, which proceeded to carve across the planet in every direction possible, a separate explosion in the distance that sent a blast of rubble hurtling into the clouds, quickly marked the reappearance of Kinshiki to the battlefield.

His form streaking across the sky like a rocket, the noticeably bruised and battered warrior, his back ablaze with his red chakra arc and body surrounded by a cluster of various weapons- including large axes, spears, lances, scythes and swords- came flying towards the colossal beast at full speed. Bleeding heavily from the face, the celestial gave a yell of anger as he blitzed towards the dragon-headed giant with the intent of carving right through his body.

Moryu, spotting the incoming threat, turned all his heads in the direction of the enraged Kinshiki and unleashed all of the serpents on his left arm at him. The collection of eight dragon heads stretched and shot towards the approaching alien, coiling around one another as their mouths and claws prepared to slice through their pale-faced target.

A series of bright red flashes then filled the air where the dragon heads and Kinshiki met- the celestial cutting the heads into ribbons when he cut right through them with his collection of energy blades. Purple blood splattered across the countryside as the demon's limbs were spectacularly shredded by the enemy's parries, with the Otsutsuki- still flying at full speed- moving whatever chakra weapons he had left in front of him to strike down the main body.

Moryu however was ready for him.

Bringing up the dragon heads of his giant corpse's right arm, the demon retracted the tendrils and coiled them around one another. With a loud snap, the eight heads of his right limb meshed together and formed into a massive, scaly fist, which he then threw forward and punched the approaching Kinshiki right out of the sky. The thunderclap that rang out was quickly followed by another, equally deafening one as an explosion of dust shot up from the ground at the titan's feet, when the Otsutsuki was smashed right into the floor.

" _ **HAHAHAHA!"**_ Moryu cackled, bringing back the mangled heads of his left arm and pumping chakra into it. The result was his shredded and decapitated serpent appendages regenerating at an alarming rate, the red-eyed beasts all hissing loudly as they recovered from all the wounds inflicted by their celestial foe. _**"Your attacks have no effect on me, worms! I am the ultimate lifeform! The bringer of death and the destroyer of worlds!"**_ When he cocked back his newly regenerated limb, the undead titan dropped down to one knee, formed the dragon heads into another massive hand, and slammed the fingers of his hand into the ground. _**"FEAR ME!"**_

What happened next stunned Momoshiki and Urashiki.

Digging his newly created hand through the ground towards the fallen Kinshiki, Moryu not only picked the celestial up with the rubble, but when he thrust his hand upwards in an underarm throw, he peeled the entire surface of the country in front of him up and sent the entire layer of earth hurling into the atmosphere. What resulted was a massive wall of rock about ten kilometers long arcing up into the clouds like some freak tidal wave- an effect that could clearly be seen from space as the rubble was sent barreling through the thermosphere.

Kinshiki himself, who'd ended up caught in the rubble, was sent tumbling through the wave of earth through the sky- which not only banged him up but also shredded him. When his body came flying out of the rubble, his entire right arm had been ripped off and the skin on his left side had been torn apart by debris. His body eventually crash-landed in the countryside about twenty kilometers away from the cataclysm- and formed a small crater with his impact.

As purple flames contained to rage around the possessed giant corpse like a glorified inferno from hell itself, the massive demon with the dragon heads laughed maniacally as he whipped his tails about. The act felled a couple mountains behind him, pulverizing them and sending them cascading to the ground.

" _ **Behold the true and terrifying power of Moryu- the Great Conqueror of the Earth and the Scourge of the Five Great Nations!"**_ the gigantic demon laughed, before turning his main dragon head towards Miroku and grinning at her through his multi-layered, toothy mouth. _**"What do you think, Miroku? Does this**_ _Magnificent Dragon's_ _ **awesome display of strength make you tremble with terror… or quiver in excitement?"**_ Though his smile was obviously intended to be charming, the fact that it was the dragon head sticking out of the giant's unhinged mouth that was grinning made the whole thing look completely weird and scary. _ **"Tell me how you feel."**_

While Naruto and Shion shivered, Miroku just stared back at the giant with a hilariously deadpanned stare. "No matter how many times you ask me: I'm _never_ going to call you _that_ name… _ever_."

The giant of a corpse then chuckled lowly, _**"Heh. Killjoy."**_

Naruto and Shion looked between the High Priestess and the giant a couple of times. When they turned to look at one another, the pair of them shrugged- figuring that this kind of talk was something that adults normally did and was something that was beyond their understanding.

Just as things seemed to settle down, the back of the body Moryu was possessing was suddenly hit by a series of small but powerful explosions. The discharges went off in a series of oranges flashes, which caused the multi-headed dragon to stagger slightly before snapping his set of over a dozen red eyes towards the horizon.

When the giant looked, he saw a series of red energy balls streaking across the sky towards him from the furthest vanishing point. One of them hit him square in the chest, while the other four missed him and hit the land behind him instead. Upon focusing his gaze and his senses in the direction those attacks had come from, Moryu discovered that it was Urashiki- who'd taken up position on another quarter of the planet- sniping him from a distance.

The pale, slender celestial standing on top of the skull of a giant skull was holding his energy rod like a musket, and was firing off red spheres of energy towards the giant. His _Byakugan_ were also activated, allowing him to aim and time his shots from such an extraordinary distance.

However, when he realized Moryu had turned his attention to him, the Otsutsuki lowered his chakra rod and cursed. "Uh-oh. Not good."

The man then leapt into the sky and got the hell out of there. It was a good thing he did, because a split second later, the jaws of every single head on Moryu's demonic body came together, lit up, and unleashed a massive purple sphere of toxic energy towards the spot where he was standing.

About three seconds after firing the comet of an attack, the chakra ball struck the Mountain Range Urashiki had been standing on. On the moment of impact, the entire region and the countryside around it for forty miles in all directions became swallowed up by an enormous dome of purple fire, which incinerated the land and blasted an enormous chunk out of the planet.

Rubble and debris from the blast rippled across the curvature of the world, with Urashiki ending up getting caught in it and sent spinning through the air. "GAH! Damn it!" the celestial shouted, using his energy rod to bat away some of the rocks that came pelting his way.

The explosion was so large in fact that the cataclysm could be seen as a bright pink flash from the furthest moon orbiting the dead world.

While all this was going on and Moryu continued to focus his attention on the retreating Urashiki, over in the crater that'd been made several miles from where Moryu had peeled a decent chunk of the countryside up into the atmosphere, the broken and mangled form of Kinshiki could be seen lying in a broken heap at the bottom of the fissure. His chest heaving and drawing in raspy, pained breaths of air, the pale-faced hulk of a man with a goatee did his best to maintain consciousness as his white eyes flickered open.

Seeing nothing but red due to the blood dripping down his face, the celestial then spotted through his hazy vision the form of his superior- Momoshiki- float down to hover over him. At first thinking his mildly wounded comrade was going to assist, the large man was then hit with a sudden flash of realization, and clenched his fists as a result.

"It seems… the time has come… for you to absorb… my chakra," Kinshiki breathed in a strained voice. His eyes lighting up one last time with determination, the celestial then grinned widely. "Go on. Do not waver… Momoshiki-sama."

With his right forearm blackened from necrosis, his left shoulder charred from being clipped by Moryu's blast, and his robes torn in several places from the battle, the pale leader of the Otsutsuki group smirked at the clansman who had served as both his foster-father and subordinate. Upon which he then held his left hand out and positioned it over the large man.

"Don't worry. I won't," he said, before the Rinnegan in the center of his palm lit up a bright red.

The moment it did, Kinshiki gave a scream of agony as a fierce wind picked up his body, which instantly warped into the slipstream. In the blink of an eye, he was then drawn up into Momoshiki's extended palm and condensed into a small, glowing red mass resembling a peach. Once Kinshiki's form had completely disappeared into the ball and the fruit had gained stability, Momoshiki wasted no time in bringing it to his lips and chomping down on it.

He devoured it in seconds, a big grin forming on his face before his entire body unleashed a puff of white smoke. The cloud filled the entire crater and spread over the valley, before being lifted from the area by a whirlwind from the center. What emerged from there was a figure who looked drastically different from the Momoshiki before.

Baring the form of a white oni complete with elongated devil horns that curved backwards, the creature's body had become tall and lithe in appearance, and covered with radiating black markings resembling sunburst patterns. His finger and toenails had also grown, resembling short claws, and his canines had also developed to resemble fangs. All of his dōjutsu had also turned gold, particularly his _Byakugan_ eyes and a _Rinnegan_ that opened right in the center of his forehead.

Floating in place like a phantom, the newly transformed Momoshiki's gaze snapped to the side and through the clouds, where he saw the giant Moryu standing in the distance. Frowning deeply, the demon of an Otsutsuki then gave a mighty below of rage, which caused a hurricane-like gale to blast from him and across the countryside. Once his chakra flared, the celestial then crouched forward and shot into the sky.

Hearing the sonic booms ring out in the distance, Moryu, Miroku, Naruto and Shion spotted the new form of Momoshiki appear in the clouds. His body nothing more than a speck, the four suddenly saw lightning bolts streak across the sky around the man, all of which originated from the celestial's body. This, accompanied by a sudden spike in chakra on their radars, quickly put the multi-headed dragon on the defensive.

Momoshiki meanwhile was ready, extending his right hand and engaging the newly healed, golden Rinnegan on his palm. The moment the iris shone and chakra had gathered inside of it, the Otsutsuki gave a shout and unleashed a string of attacks towards the possessed giant corpse. These attacks appeared in the form of energy balls and beams composed of multiple elements, from lightning, to fire, to wind, to water, to black mist, and even lava, which the celestial sent lobbing towards the group in a hail of death.

The countryside surrounding Moryu, which was already lying in ruins and engulfed in a purple inferno, became bombarded by the barrage of multi-elemental attacks. The energy spheres rained down upon the land like an artillery strike, pulverizing the landscape with countless, deafening explosions, and hammering the land with blasts comparable to hundreds of pounds of TNT going off continuously.

Miroku, being the one tasked with protecting Naruto and Shion, quickly held her arms over the children and produced a golden shield around them. This helped to deflect the shower of rubble and the waves of lava that suddenly washed over them when the mountain they were standing on was practically melted from the heat of the explosions going off in front of them.

Both Naruto and Shion screamed when the ground beneath them also rocked violently from the string of cataclysms going off before them.

Moryu meanwhile was unperturbed- merely raising one of his arms to block some of the red blasts that slammed into his form. Due to the durability granted to him by the corpse he was possessing and his own immunity to elemental attacks, the demon merely stood there and absorbed the hits. His dragon heads also hissed and growled, their red eyes glaring through the hail of blasts towards the celestial unleashing them upon him.

Seeing his attacks wreck the country of the planet but have little effect on the large demon, Momoshiki clicked his tongue in annoyance and held back his left hand. "Brute! Try this one!" He then gathered the same chakra being spewed out of his right hand into his opposite palm, the golden eye suddenly producing a black and purple mass of energy, which began growing at an alarming pace. In a matter of seconds, the whirling collection of chakra suddenly formed into a meteorite-sized sphere of black energy, which pulsed and throbbed with an enormous amount of power.

Spotting the attack being generated by the Otsutsuki, Moryu quickly acted and took aim with his dragon heads. In a flash, multiple purple beams of light suddenly shot out of his appendages and streaked up towards the celestial, striking the black ball of chakra and carving right through it. The result was the attack hardening to that of rock, before crumbling apart into rubble that cascaded from the sky.

"Disobedient beast!" Momoshiki shouted in annoyance when his attack was effectively shut down. Shaking it off, the Otsutsuki then swung his right arm back before throwing it across the sky in front of him. "I WILL KILL YOU!" When he dragged his palm through the air, he produced a series of enormous black rods that- upon gaining form and shape- shot down from the clouds towards the giant in an attempt to impale the demon's vital spots and limbs.

Spotting the black receiver rods flying towards him at breakneck speeds, Moryu quickly swung one of his enormous tails forward and swatted them out of the air. The whip of his appendage shattered some of the weapons before striking the ground, smashing the floor and sending a shower of rubble washing over the land like a tsunami.

When that barrage failed, Momoshiki gritted his teeth and looked to the sky behind him. Spotting something that he could use as ammunition, he then thrust his left hand up towards the atmosphere, which not only parted the thick layer of clouds hanging over them, but also revealed one of the planet's three moons hovering overhead.

"HOW ABOUT THIS?!" Momoshiki bellowed, gathering chakra into his palm and clenching his fist at the terrestrial satellite.

The moment he did so, the most extraordinary thing happened.

Naruto and Shion watched in abject shock as the moon that'd become visible in the sky suddenly cracked and fractured all over. The cracks gave way to a piercing red light, which then caused the moon to explode, and the resulting debris from said explosion to catch fire.

Momoshiki, telepathically seizing hold of all the rubble and chunks from the destroyed celestial body, telekinetically grabbed hold of them, and yanked them right out of the sky. With a fierce yell, he thrust his hand forward, and directed the chunks of destroyed planet towards the giant Moryu, not even caring how much damage he would bring to the planet.

The chunks of destroyed moon broke through the planet's atmosphere in a matter of moments, the flaming pieces of rubble leaving thick trails of smoke as they plummeted towards the ground. The first wave struck the ground around Moryu, pulverizing hillsides and punching holes all across the valley.

Before the second wave of even larger chunks of the celestial body could make landfall however, the demon was ready for them. Using his main head, the enormous dragon gathered up an enormous amount of chakra in the serpent's multi-layered mouth, before unleashing a purple blast into the sky. Pulling his head across so that the beam swung with his turn, he vaporized the meteorites plummeting towards him- causing multiple gargantuan explosions to fill the sky. The firework display was loud and bright, and sent shockwaves rippling across the stratosphere.

As the remaining, smaller asteroids crashed to the planet away from Moryu and the others, an infuriated Momoshiki snarled and dove. Getting fed up with not being able to hit his opponent at long range, he decided to take his fight directly to the demon instead.

Spinning as he flew, the Otsutsuki readied his palms while he closed in on the demon. In response, Moryu sent his serpent heads flying towards the celestial, the heads curling around one another as they stretched towards their adversary.

His form taking the form of a white blur, Momoshiki darted between the heads one after the other, dodging them while at the same time smashing them away with swift and powerful hand-to-hand strikes. His palms and feet struck the appendages when they attempted to chase after him, his _Byakugan_ allowing him to trace their vital points and target them with his attacks, damaging the tendrils a lot more.

When one of the dragon heads arced towards the Otsutsuki from behind, the celestial deflected it with a swift elbow strike, before his body transformed into a white haze and pummeled the neck with multiple _Jūken_ blows. The dragon head was thoroughly battered by Momoshiki's attacks, which writhed about for a moment before, with a shriek of agony, exploded in a shower of purple blood.

Moryu as a whole however was unaffected- the demon giving a growl as it tracked the fast-moving Momoshiki when his white form came flying straight for his main body. The celestial aimed for the giant's center mass, attempting to hit him where it would hurt most. But just as he was closing in on the titan and readying to strike his torso, the breast-plating surrounding the front of the body suddenly exploded, and black tendrils suddenly shot out to strike the Otsutsuki.

Caught by surprise once again at the demon once again changing shape, Momoshiki hastily deflected the appendages and retreated, avoiding the swipe of the giant's serpent-headed arm. Flying out of reach when the dragons snapped at him, the Otsutsuki then landed several hundred feet away atop a newly formed plateau, where the man swung his arms about and took on the typical _Gentle Fist_ fighting style. With his feet set wide and palms open, the horned alien clenched his jaw tightly as he narrowed his three eyes upon the giant.

When Moryu saw the Otsutsuki take that stance, the demon decided to get a little clever. Retracting the serpentine heads of his arms so that they coiled back into a pair of large hands, the demon then pushed the main dragon head further out from the giant corpse's mouth, disintegrating the titan's head and allowing a full-fledged head and neck to form. Upon bulking out of its gargantuan zombie suit, the transforming colossus then spread its feet and assumed a fighting stance as well, its palms flattening and crossing over in a form mirroring Momoshiki's.

The white demon standing atop the plateau could only gape in shock at the position he saw the demon take. "It… can't be."

Moryu chuckled as his red eyes beamed down at the stunned Otsutsuki. _**"You think your clan is the only race in the universe possessing otherworldly capabilities and God-like strength? Think again. Your Jūken style of fighting is nothing new to me."**_ The demon's glare tightened as the purple smoke wafting from his enormous mass intensified. _**"Since you seem to be lacking a clear sense of morbid terror after gazing upon my glorious figure, I will correct this by**_ _making_ _ **you fear me through brute force."**_

Baring his teeth at the titan glaring down upon him from the comfortable pose of his newly assumed stance, the now thoroughly insulted Momoshiki flared his chakra and readied himself. "A God does not quake, waver, or grovel… especially in the presence of a lowly, vile creature such as yourself! I am above you in every way possible!"

The celestial's answer had Moryu laugh. _**"You? A God? Please. You're nothing more than a common pest… a cockroach… a parasite… a creature that lives off of the backs of others, and gains his strength by feeding on the energy and wellbeing of the weak. How can you possibly call yourself a deity of any kind if the power you wield needs to be taken straight from the blood and spirit of those you consider 'lower life forms'?"**_

Opening his mouth for a retort, Momoshiki quickly found himself unable to formulate one. Instead, all the man did was grit his teeth and snarl in rage. "Just for that… I am going to enjoy ripping you into bloody pieces." Knees bending, the celestial then sprang from the floor and rocketed right up at the defensive demon, flying straight past his enormous palms and right towards his face. "I will crush you like the worthless insect that you are!"

" _ **You'll die trying!"**_ Moryu shouted, his arms suddenly coming apart and transforming into multiple dragon heads once more. This time however, the serpentine heads each bore a set of arms and claws, all of which were set into _Jūken_ hand positions. In an instant, the dozen appendages coiled around and came flying at the airborne Momoshiki, who was just about to close in on the demon's main head.

It all happened in an instant. When the Otsutsuki collided with the first eight dragons that came at him with their claws and fangs bared, the alien clashed with them in a quick and fierce exchange of blows. After several flashes occurred, in which the dragons unleashed the full force of their close-quarter attacks upon the celestial, the serpents managed to outmaneuver and overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers, catching Momoshiki from all sides.

When his string of blows managed to batter around the celestial and stun him, Moryu quickly formed another fist out of the dragons on his right arm, clenched it, and then drove it down onto the Otsutsuki. His blow landed with the deafening clap of a shockwave, as he managed to smash the alien out of the sky- effectively punching him into the land.

After his body was effectively plowed through the rocky valley, before his body could even stop moving the angry Momoshiki sprang up and landed atop another plateau. With his robes in even more ruin compared to before, the white demon looked up just in time to see Moryu's immense, possessed body spring into the air and begin plummeting towards him- foot first. Knowing a colossal kick was imminent, the alien parasite quickly thrust both hands up and summoned his next attack.

The hillsides and valleys exploded around him as multiple roots suddenly burst forth from the earth and flew up at the approaching titan. These enormous branches, which twisted around one another at random, quickly formed into dragon heads as well- similar in appearance to the ones used by Hashirama Senju- which quickly honed in on the airborne demon and chomped into him from all sides. The moment their wooden jaws clamped down onto Moryu's limbs and body, the conqueror dropped out of the sky and landed with an earsplitting crash upon the planet's surface. His landing easily shook the entire country, and nearly knocked the observing Miroku, Naruto and Shion off their feet.

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed, his arm shielding him against the gale that resulted from the shockwave. From where he was sitting, he could see the entire battle taking place, as the giant Moryu towered over the land and grappled with the wooden snakes that'd sprung out of nowhere.

Giving a roar of effort and using his right arm, the dragon-headed titan corpse grabbed a fistful of the wooden dragons attempting to absorb his chakra. With a hard yank, he ripped them out of the ground where they'd come from, before using his own dragons to bite through and cut off the remaining hindrances. Upon tossing the enormous branches away, Moryu then took on a fighting stance as he saw Momoshiki clamp his hands together and perform his next technique.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" the celestial bellowed, as the ground he was standing on came to life and flowed towards him. In a matter of seconds, the Otsutsuki's battered body became surrounded by earth and rock, which lifted him up into the air, and grew more and more in size as the planet began feeding itself to his will. Mountains literally crumbled and fell apart, before they were picked up and molded into the form that Momoshiki was now aiming to create.

Moryu balked in surprise when he saw the countryside beneath his feet come to stand at his height, its entire outer shell glowing hot with fire as the celestial invader used his mastery over the elements to melt the earth into a single, mobile form. When the monolith finished gaining mass and composition seconds later, and the continent they were fighting on stopped trembling, the giant demon from Earth found himself squaring off against another titan of equal size and weight- a golem composed entirely of stone and magma. Its form hissed loudly as steam of smoke billowed from its every nook and crevice, and the eyes in its face shone into life.

Seeing the giant stomp forward and take a stance, the dragon-headed Moryu readied himself as well. _**"Alright! Let's dance!"**_ Extending his hand to the floor, the titan summoned the elements to his aid as well, with massive chunks of rock flying up and slamming into his body. The rock chipped and feel away as it molded to the possessed corpse, taking shape just in time to allow Moryu to properly face off against the mountain giant. Once his preparations were complete, the demon had completely clad himself in stone armor- similar to that worn by his terracotta guards.

With the plates banging against his hide and his body completely shelled in rock, including his main head, Moryu leaned forward and charged.

What followed was a clash of biblical proportions, as two giants, whose heads were effortlessly scraping through the clouds in the sky, thundered towards one another in a bid to land the first hit. The earth shook and fractured beneath their footfalls, with the planet itself being shaken to its very core as Momoshiki, taking full control of his golem, dove towards his opponent with a wide hook. The massive arm of his elemental familiar roared as it cut through the air, its size meaning its movements were big and sluggish.

Moryu however was unhampered by these limitations. Having obviously more control over his dragon form inside the more durable giant corpse, the demon from Earth managed to time to approach of the haymaker and ducked under it. The moment he did, the hand of his gauntlet-covered right arm opened into a claw. With his palm exposed, Moryu hurriedly gathered a mass of chakra between his fingers, which quickly took the form of a purple, pulsating sphere of energy. Upon gripping it, Moryu then thrust it forward into a counter-punch, slamming it into the chest of the golem and letting it go off.

" _ **Kokuryugoon!"**_ (Black Dragon Roar) Moryu roared, a split second before his attack completely outdid him.

The impact was tremendous. Not only did the impact of the blow cause an initially shockwave that split the country in half beneath them, but the explosion that followed parted the clouds above and decimated the landscape behind Momoshiki's familiar. The purple sphere Moryu was clutching expanded at tremendous speed, swallowing up the mountain golem and incinerating it within the raging center of the blast.

The explosion that took place immediately afterwards was ungodly as well. A blinding flash of purple light covered a stretch of over a hundred miles, annihilating every single hill and mountain lying in the blast's path. When the golem's form crumbled into dust within the waves of the attack, Momoshiki's form also became subjected to the forces and elements within it, resulting in the celestial letting out a cry of agony as his body was set alight and sent hurtling through the gale. It wouldn't be until thirty full seconds later that the resulting explosion finally died down.

Everyone who witnessed the blast engulf a good portion of the horizon could only stare in shock as the flames and smoke from the calamity slowly dissipated. Even the observing Urashiki was stunned.

In the end, what was left in the wake of the explosion when the smoke lifted, was a trench stretching five miles across and a hundred miles long. It was so wide and so deep that it could easily be mistaken for a gorge.

As the dust that formed around Moryu's possessed body faded, it revealed the titan standing in place with its arm extended, and its armor crumbling away into nothing. As it did, the rotting corpse beneath it was also revealed to have been burned up, and was now starting to crumble into ash. Miroku and the two children watching from the ground below gazed upon the titan as it fell to pieces, wondering what exactly could've happened to it. Even the dragon head poking out of the top had lost all life and was starting to crumble.

But then, just as more chunks were starting to fall away from the once undead creature, a glint on the back plate of the stone-covered giant occurred, from which a ball of purple light was ejected. This light then dropped down from the giant and landed on the plateau where Miroku, Shion and Naruto were.

The children huddled up to the High Priestess, at first thinking it was the Otsutsuki that'd returned. But when the giant purple flame vanished, it revealed a new person kneeling on the floor. Standing up showed the world that he was a man around his thirties- the same age as Miroku- with pale skin, short white hair, and with two red eyes. He also wore a black, long-sleeved turtleneck shirt that was cut short and showing off his midriff, a white obi, and dark grey pants- which seemed pretty ordinary for a uniform. The only thing that stood out was the black eboshi hat he was wearing, which rounded out his entire outfit.

Pushing back his fringe, the newcomer smiled as he walked over to where Miroku was standing with the children, at the same time removing his hat and slipping it into the top of his belt. "Heh. That went easier than I expected." He said this while coming to a stop a few feet from the group.

Shion, blinking as she stared at the stranger, gave him a quick once over before speaking in a soft voice, "W-Who are you?"

"Hm? Oh," the man balked when he heard the child speak. When he turned to the young priestess and saw her gaping, the man grinned broadly and rapped his knuckles against his chest. "I'm Moryu… the giant that you saw fighting off those three scary aliens."

This answer had Naruto tilt his head and give the white-haired gentleman a strange stare. "Why are you… _normal looking_? Aren't you supposed to be some sort of big, demon dragon?"

"Oh? You mean that form from before?" Moryu asked, at the same time grinning and waving his hand at the youngster. "That was just a type of radical polymorphism- an ability I developed while I was training to master my dark chakra. The technique allows me to create a synthetic shell out of pure energy, which when modified correctly enables me to take the form of anything that I want, no matter how big or small. Think of it as a, uhh… advanced _Henge no Jutsu_ (Transformation Technique)… only this one has the properties of a flexible suit of armor. Basically I can't get hurt when in that form, since it's the shell that's absorbing all the damage."

"I… I see…" Naruto murmured, his brain slowly processing the information and storing the result away for later. He then looked across at the crumbling giant and shrugged. _"Huh. Maybe it can be something I can learn for later as a ninja."_ It was worth a shot.

Smiling at the child's rather stunted answer, Moryu then turned his attention to Miroku, only to blink when he saw her staring down at his stomach. Blinking at the rather faraway look in the woman's eyes, the male quickly realized what had her attention so rapt and, with a rather amused smirk coming into play, cleared his throat.

"Miroku. My face is up here," the man said, pointing at his mug when he saw the woman snap out of her daze. A snicker left his lips when he saw her eyes fix on him. "Pervert."

Blushing when she realized she'd been caught staring at his bare torso, the High Priestess coughed into her hand before frowning at her teammate. Despite her attempts to appear unperturbed, it was clear she was still quite embarrassed. "Did you kill them?"

Moryu scoffed a little at her question. "Are you kidding? Did you see the size of that blast I just used?" the male asked, his voice sounding surprised as he thumbed over his shoulder at the titan corpse he'd previously been inhabiting crumbling behind them. "I disintegrated everything lying within a hundred miles of it and transformed the bottom of the trench into a glass floor. There is no way _they_ or anything else is getting up after that."

Giving the direction Moryu was pointing in a momentary look of uncertainty, Miroku then gave a nod before looking to the horizon on her right. "We only have one more left to deal with. Once we get rid of him, the people of Earth will be safe."

"No problem," Moryu replied, at the same time inhaling and stretching his shoulders out. "Just… let me catch my breath first. I burned through a lot of my chakra during that fight, so I need a minute to build it back up."

It was a lot of chakra he'd gone through. Almost all of it in fact. But the warrior chose to keep that information to himself, as he didn't want to worry the group over the rather alarming sensation he was now feeling in his body…

With the amount of dark chakra he had to spend trying to kill those three Otsutsuki, his insides were literally starting to die on him.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Lying at the bottom of the chasm formed from Moryu's attack about fifty miles from where the group was currently resting, whatever remains of the transformed Momoshiki could be seen lying in literal bits and pieces. With a hot, glass floor lying beneath him, the completely charred and battered celestial gave a few, choked breaths of pain before attempting to sit up. However, due to the fact that the entire bottom half of his body was gone and that only his left arm was the only limb intact, albeit burnt completely black, all he could do was lie there and whimper.

Even the once impressive horns he had atop his crown had been shaved short, with blood dripping down the entire right side of his face. Speaking of which, the skin on that side was also peeling off due to having been burned right down to the muscle.

"I… can't believe this…" Momoshiki wheezed, his vision a complete blur as the pain overwhelming his senses was just too much for him to take. "Me… a God… beaten by a worthless worm and his band of cohorts from… a muddy, backwater planet…" Right now he couldn't decide which was more painful: getting barbequed alive by a blast of chakra he could not absorb or getting nearly atomized by a lower lifeform.

Perhaps it was the combination of both that was making his current situation so unbearable.

After giving a couple more pained coughs, one of which heaved up a bit of blood from his burnt lungs, the Otsutsuki suddenly felt a shadow fall over him. Peering up through the thick haze filling his eyes, the young leader of the group saw his comrade Urashiki standing over him. With his red energy rod propped over his shoulders and hands hanging off of it, the pale-faced and relatively unscathed traveler couldn't help but smirk down at his broken companion.

"Damn. They messed you up real good, senpai," Urashiki chuckled, at the same time tilting his head at his companion curiously. "Some bandages and a good night's rest should help fix that up."

Snarling at his companion's attempt at a joke, Momoshiki craned his head towards the celestial and snapped at him. "Stop talking… and help me up. I can still finish… this fight…"

"Hmm… though I admire your determination to keep going, I think I have a much better idea in mind," Urashiki replied, an evil grin suddenly forming on his lips before he swung his rod out and threw its line towards the fallen Otsutsuki.

The moment his chest was pierced by the tiny hook of his companion's weapon, Momoshiki gave a gasp of shock before straining out a yell. "U-Urashiki! What is the… meaning of this…?"

"Oh, don't act so surprised, Momoshiki-senpai," the slender man chirped back while leering down at the stricken warrior. "Do you honestly expect me to lend you a hand after watching you assimilate Kinshiki-senpai without a second thought? Tsk-tsk." Urashiki shook his head as he heard his teammate gasp out in pain. "That's not how it works in our clan. You said so yourself. When one of us falls, it is up to the others who are still standing to pick up the slack and carry on the mission."

Momoshiki growled when he saw the cocky smirk being thrown at him by the other Otsutsuki. "I am… your _superior_! You take orders… from _me_!"

"Now, you see, I feel that is a little bit unfair," Urashiki replied with a shrug. "Every day, for the past thousand years, you have been telling me and Kinshiki where to go, what to do, and what to say. We answered to your every beck and call without hesitation, and performed our duties to the latter, which led to many successful endeavors for our group. But, now that your streak of victories has finally run its course, I think it's time for me to take the lead." The man then brought up his free hand and held it open over the half-dead form of the companion. "I've analyzed that beast's attack patterns and power, and since we can't absorb any of its chakra, I think I have a better way of getting past it."

In response, Momoshiki gave one last growl. "You think… you'll be able to beat that monster… when I couldn't?"

Urashiki cocked his head to the side coyly. "Of course."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	6. Otsutsuki Arc - Star Crossed

**Author's Note:** For those of you who read this, _Naruto_ is steeped in quite a bit of Japanese folklore.

While the Sannin originate from the story The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki also originate from famous Japanese tales, and are based on the characters **Momotaro** , **Kintaro** , and **Urashima Taro**.

If you guys don't know who they are, look them up.

Also, if you guys are wondering who **Miroku** and **Moryu** really are in this story and why they are so powerful, look for their names and look them up. Reading this story comes with some interesting bit of Japanese lore and history, so have fun.

* * *

 **Naruto**

 _ **ONI**_

 _Star Crossed_

(At the same time)

While this commotion went on unbeknownst to everyone present on the dead and crumbling world, the group over on the plateau was taking a moment to collect their thoughts.

Moryu, having been through a rather longwinded fight, was spending his time working out his muscles and catching his breath. During the preflight checks he was doing to his real-human body, the man failed to notice Shion step away from the safety of her mother's side and approach him. It was only while he was inspecting his hands that the human-demon finally spotted the little girl shuffling in his direction, which had him stop and look down at the youngster curiously.

A similarly inquisitive look- one undercut by a sense of nervousness and uncertainty- was framed on the young Shion's face as she gazed up at the man standing before her. Swallowing anxiously as she looked him over, the girl then spoke in a soft voice. "S-So… are you my… papa?"

Moryu, sparing a glance at Miroku to see the woman watching him like a hawk, then looked down at the child, cleared his throat, and leant over. "Yes. I am." He then smiled when he crouched down on the floor to speak to the youngster. "I don't think you and I have ever had the chance to meet, Shion. Though… I did see you once… years ago, when you were a baby."

"You did?" the girl chirped.

"It was… on the day that you were born," Moryu replied, making a cradle with his hands to illustrate his story to the youngster. "You were so tiny… you were probably only as big as a loaf of bread. At first I couldn't believe that you were mine and your mother's child, you were so small and fragile." His warm smile then widened a little bit more, showing both sincerity and kindness that no one could've expected. Even Miroku was surprised at the way Moryu was now acting, but chose not to comment on his actions. "But in that moment… I thought you were the most beautiful thing in the entire world… and that I would do anything to protect you."

Her bright eyes shimmering as she looked back at the man speaking to her, the blonde priestess-in-training lowered her head and mumbled, "If that's true… then… why did you leave mum and me?" Her question causing Moryu and Miroku to recoil, Shion clenched her fists and looked up at the adult male with a firm gaze, as the next series of questions she asked came out with increasing confusion and grief. "Why did you leave us all alone? Why didn't I have a papa while I was growing up? To raise me? To take care of me? To hug me when I was sad? Why weren't you there for me?" Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, Shion then bit her bottom lip and lowered herself to the ground. "Didn't… didn't you love us?"

At first appearing shocked, Moryu glanced across at Miroku. When he saw the mother looking back at him with an equally troubled gaze, the pair engaged in a quick, silent conversation with one another. Their expressions and facial tics passing information between the two, the white-haired male then took a deep breath before looking back at Shion.

The moment the little girl's eyes met his again, the little priestess saw not only fear etched into his irises, but also sadness and regret. This mixture of emotions literally had Shion pause for a full second, before the man began to speak to her again.

"Shion… I loved you… more than you can ever know. Your mother too. If I could do it right now, I would go back in time to the day you were born, and tell my past self to _stay_ , to stop chasing after his silly little fantasies, and to spend the rest of his life with the two people he cared about most in the entire world… to be a loving father and husband," Moryu whispered, at the same time reaching up with his hand to touch her cheek. When he felt the little girl flinch under his palm before slowly relaxing, the middle-aged male closed his eyes and spoke in a somber voice. "I should've stayed. I _should've_. But I didn't… and not a day goes by that I don't regret the choice that I made… the path that I chose. Only your mother was smart enough to see how stupid my decision was." He then looked across at Miroku once more and flashed her a weak smile. "Then again… she was always the smartest out of the two of us."

In response, the tall woman with the glowing blonde hair grinned before sticking her tongue out at Moryu cheekily, which in turn caused the man's heart to flutter. This gave the demon male the confidence to look back at his daughter and speak with her, eye-to-eye. "The reason I left wasn't because I didn't love you. I left because I was stupid… and because I couldn't see where my decisions were leading me." His smile then faltered once more and he looked down, feeling a cold chill flow through him.

Whether this was a result of his body crapping out on him due to his overuse of dark chakra or the realization that regardless of his reasons he still abandoned his family, he didn't know. But what he did know was that saying all of this to Shion- the daughter he hardly even knew and had only seen years ago- was perhaps the hardest things he had to say.

He had to come clean with his reasons. He had to tell her the full truth. He couldn't possibly lie to the child.

"The truth is-AGH!" Moryu was suddenly cut off when, out of nowhere, a curved blade of pure red energy suddenly burst out of his chest. His body lurched forward as a result, with Shion giving a startled yelp when she saw the weapon appear from the man's chest.

Miroku and Naruto also balked in surprise, with the High Priestess reeling forward in alarm, "MORYU!"

"W-What?!" the white-haired man gasped, looking down at the blade jutting out of his stomach before shakily glancing over his shoulder to see where that attack had come from.

When all eyes followed the glowing red chain the enormous sickle was attached to up into the clouds, the impaled Moryu and the others spotted a new figure hovering in the sky above them. At first they mistook the person to be Momoshiki- the same man that the former had been fighting the entire time and supposedly incinerated with his previous blast. However, on closer inspection, the group saw that the individual dressed in the white robe and shawl combo was a man that was twice Moryu's size, with an athletic yet muscular build, and long white hair.

Though the hair had previously been long and flowing, now it was long and spiky, and seemed to defy gravity in a way. Aside from that, the person had several other extremities that the group immediately took notice of. This included the fact that his skin was blood red and that he had two large, white horns resembling flat, boney antlers arcing out of his head like a crown. These attributes, along with his fang-lined mouth, gave him the appearance of a demented oni. What's more, aside from having a normal humanoid nose, mouth and pair of ears, the man also had two sets of yellow _**Byakugan**_ eyes- one set on top of the other- and a single golden _**Rinne-Sharingan**_ sitting in the center of his forehead; giving him a total of five eyes.

What's more, a red chakram-circle of red chakra was hovering behind his back and he had a long red staff of energy held firmly in his grip, which was what the chain was attached to. Overall, this creature was nothing like the trio of Otsutsuki Moryu had been fighting before.

He looked like a complete monster.

Upon seeing he had their full and undivided attention, the 'newcomer' gave a careless grunt before lifting his arm. "I see… so _this_ is your true form?" He then gave the staff he was holding a firm tug, which caused the chain attached to the sickle stuck in Moryu's back to tighten as well.

Growling loudly, the white-haired male reached back, ripped the sickle out from him and threw it aside, only to watch it retract at speed back up to its owner. When the large, curved blade of the demon's customized kusarigama snapped back into the head of the energy staff, Urashiki cocked his head to the side when he analyzed the strange chakra his weapon was able to gauge from the man's body.

"This heat? This energy resonance? I see," the mutated Otsutsuki mumbled to himself, before a wide grin sprouted across his fang-lined mouth. "You two are higher lifeforms as well… celestial beings originating from a different universe. The question is, which one…?" Narrowing his glowing eyes in thought, the red-skinned extra-terrestrial thought on it for a moment before his eyes cracked open in realization. "The _**Amanogawa**_ sector… the Tentei Clan's system. Our clan's mortal enemies. Now I get it." The man lifted his head when he analyzed the two adults on the mountain below. "That explains why we can't absorb your chakra. The two of you draw on and distort the raw energy of the stars- not the natural energy of the planets. Members of our clan are incredibly averse to the effects of solar radiation. It's… _irritating_ , to say the least."

By this point, Miroku had moved Shion and Naruto behind her, while Moryu retained his position on the floor. When the latter attempted to move, his knee buckled and caused the man to collapse forward onto his hand. At the same time a shout of pain left his lips. In response, the High Priestess rushed over to help the man up, but the stubborn dragon-warrior held his hand out to stop her, before slowly forcing himself to stand.

"Are you okay?" Miroku whispered, clutching her hands together while watching her ally stand.

The white-haired warrior hissed, bringing his right hand around and looking down at it. When he did, he saw that the veins in his wrist were bulging and throbbing, and what looked like a black liquid was flowing under his skin. Taking a moment to stop his trembling, Moryu looked back at the woman tiredly. "No… I overused my dark chakra… it's poisoning my body." He then turned to glare back up at the Otsutsuki above them. "I don't think I'll be able to last much longer."

Miroku, appearing stunned, then gritted her teeth and stepped forward. "You should stop. Take a break. I'll handle him."

"No…" Moryu hissed back, stopping the woman in her tracks while he stepped forward. "If you unleash all your power in your mortal body against him, you'll burn out in less than five minutes."

Appearing a bit taken aback, Miroku then shot the man a glare. "Your body is mortal too. Do you think you'll last longer against him than I will?" She then stepped closer to the wounded warrior and hissed to him. "We'll take him together! At the same time!"

"Stay here. Protect Shion and the boy," Moryu whispered back, causing the woman to stop in her tracks and stare at him in surprise. "These three parasites are proving to be incredibly tenacious. Now that they've assimilated one another into a single being, there's no telling how much more powerful they've become. If I don't manage to kill him, I want _you_ to finish him off." He then glanced back at his partner and gave her a serious look. "I have to do this… not for me… but for you and Shion…"

Hearing the sincerity in his pained words and seeing the same power reflected in his red eyes, the golden haired woman paused for a full moment as she processed everything that he'd said. After searching each other's eyes wordlessly for several seconds and seeing each other's intentions blazing clear as day in one another, Miroku steeled herself and nodded. She then stepped back.

"Don't hold back. If your body starts crashing, I'll transport this planet to our planet's sun and bring us right down on top of it. That way, if we somehow fail, the barrier will keep him trapped and he'll burn with the rest of this world," Miroku stated as she gave Moryu the space he needed.

Nodding in understanding, Moryu then took a few deep breaths before rising up to full height. Once he was certain Miroku had moved far enough back and was once again standing in front of the crouching Naruto and Shion- both of whom were watching the interaction between the adults with a mixture of terror and intrigue- the white-haired, reformed demi-dragon decided to make his move.

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, the red-eyed warrior gave a loud roar as he allowed his chakra to explode. His muscles bulked slightly as a mixture of purple and black transparent flames exploded from his body, and engulfed him completely. The emergence of the aura and his spike in power was so intense it not only melted the ground at his feet, but also sent a shockwave rippling across the plateau- cracking it under the force of his power-up. Naruto and Shion each gave respective yelps when they felt their bodies jump off the ground from the earth literally moving under the weight of the man's strength.

Urashiki meanwhile raised an eyebrow when he saw the purple chakra flames burst from the man's body and blast into the air, causing an ominous, purple glow to cast over the greater portion of the desolate landscape. _"Hmm… interesting."_ Just as he was getting into his analysis of his foe standing about twenty stories below, the Otsutsuki balked when he suddenly saw the man's form vanish in a flicker, before what looked like a purple lightning bolt in the shape of a dragon came shooting up at him from below. "Whoa!" Spinning his staff around and swinging it out in front of him into a two-handed grip, the celestial intercepted the bolt of energy just in time.

A deafening thunderclap and clang rang when the purple dragon ran head-long into the shaft of red energy. The instant it did, not only was a hole punched through the clouds above and a crater smashed into the ground directly beneath the airborne Otsutsuki, but Moryu's body materialized out of the purple mass of shaped energy, revealing he'd attempted to land a chakra-enhanced haymaker on the mutated oni.

As sparks flew between the two warriors, Urashiki couldn't help but smirk when he saw the now human Moryu clenching his teeth and sweating from the veins in his brow as he attempted to power through his weapon. But try as he might, all he was able to do was push him back a few feet. "Oh dear. Could it be that your chakra is running a little bit low there, Great Conqueror-san?"

"Shut up!" Moryu shouted, before unloading a kick into Urashiki's stomach, only to hit the man's staff when he moved it to block. Another clang rang out as the Otsutsuki was knocked flying back across the sky- breaking the sound barrier with the speed he reached. Upon sending his opponent towards the distant mountains, Moryu quickly powered-up and gave chase.

As Moryu pursued his foe, soaring across the landscape below, the mutated Otsutsuki grinned widely as he spun his weapon about before cocking it behind him. In doing so, the chakram arc he had suspended on his back behind him produced a cluster of red _Truth-Seeking Orbs_ , which vibrated with intense electrical energy before being sent shooting towards the approaching Moryu. They sailed through the air like missiles, aiming to carve through the demi-human in a heartbeat.

But in a show of grace and finesse, the white-haired warrior evaded all of them, his form spinning around each projectile one after the other in a blur. Upon smashing away the last one with a chakra coated arm, Moryu then let out a roar as he caught up to Urashiki and rammed into him with another blow. The Otsutsuki however was ready for him this time, deflecting the man's blow with his staff. From there, the pair engaged one another in an aerial taijutsu match, which saw both of them circling one another at high-speed as they plummeted out of the sky towards the ground.

When the pair collided with a distant mountain with a giant corpse impaled on top of it, the entire edifice went up in a dome-shaped blast that incinerated an enormous crater into the planet's surface. The explosion was tremendous and reached right up into the stratosphere, parting the clouds and clearing whatever ozone remained.

As Naruto and Shion watched in awe from where the two of them were sitting on the cliff, holding on for dear life, Miroku remained standing. While on the surface the woman remained calm, even in the face of the copious amounts of destruction being brought about to the landscape in front of them, the priestess couldn't help but tremble nervously under the robes, as a clear sense of dread slowly started to fill her chest.

"Moryu…" she whispered.

OOO

(Flashback)

 _It was another beautiful morning over the valleys making up the central parts of the Five Great Nations. Of course, around this period, the borders that supposedly surrounded the countries that fell under this banner and separated them from one another, had yet to come into existence. Right now, much of the main continent had been divided up into hundreds of little states, each one ruled over and run by their own feudal lords- all of whom paid special homage to the Emperor and the giant tree that served as a sacred site to the people of the land._

 _Despite the great multitude of territories and the fences surrounding every stretch of land in sight, this did not detract at all from the serene beauty and majesty that made up much of the Earth. This observation was particularly notable for the central parts of the continent._

 _In the middle of a valley surrounded by rice fields and farm houses, at the end of a wooden bridge arcing over a river, two individuals could be seen. While this wouldn't have come as anything out of the ordinary for the few villagers that were out and about, doing their morning chores under the growing light of the sun, what made this particular pair stand out the most was the fact that both of them were glowing with golden, ethereal light. What's more, unlike the locals and their clothing consisting mostly of ragged tunics and kimonos, the pair at the bridge were wearing uniforms fit for the most esteemed of royalty._

 _The first was a middle-aged, regal-looking male with a strong jaw, sharp pink eyes, long white hair tied into a top-knot, and adorned in a long white robe decorated by silver trimmings and sporting a pair of classy wooden sandals. He was also holding a bright golden staff with a large ring at the end, which had a golden orb of energy suspended in the middle of it, and a halo crown floating over his head- indicating he was an individual of high importance._

 _The person standing beside him- a radiant and slightly younger Miroku- presented herself in a more elegant light. Aside from her obvious beauty, she was dressed in a pink haori, a red hakama, white socks, wooden sandals, and was punctuated by a stream of thin golden energy wrapped around her arms and hovering behind her- like a sheet of silk caught on the wind._

 _Due to the pair's unusual appearances, they were obviously causing quite a stir about the village they had landed in. So much so that a handful of the people in the nearby houses had turned out to view the celestial deities, and were whispering to one another over who these strangers could possibly be._

 _The teenage Miroku couldn't help but lower her head and blush a little in embarrassment at being stared at by so many people. Her father however paid little mind to the humans that'd turned out to see them and simply glanced across at his shy daughter with a smile._

" _Are you nervous, daughter?" the man asked in a calm voice._

 _Pushing her fingers together meekly, the girl with the glowing blonde hair and the angelic eyes looked up at the man and smiled. "A… A little bit." She quickly reached up and brushed some of her flowing hair behind her ear. "Do I have dirt anywhere on my face? Are my clothes wrinkled? Oh no, my hakama's crooked!" She suddenly gave a panicked squeak when she noticed the belt of her trousers was uneven and quickly went about adjusting it._

 _Seeing his daughter stutter as she hurriedly tried to comb out the creases in her clothing brought a boisterous laugh from the tall celestial, who then reached out and patted his child on the head. "Haha. There's no need to worry yourself, child. Remember, you're only meeting this boy today. You don't have to decide whether or not you want to marry him right away. Give yourself some time to talk to each other first and get to know one another."_

 _Taking a few deep breaths to compose herself, Miroku then gave a nervous smile to her father and straightened up. "Really? You mean I… I don't have to… ask him to-"_

 _The man nodded back affirmatively. "You can take as long as you need to think. A week… a month… a year… two. But whenever you think you would like to take the boy as your husband or if you'd rather marry somebody else… I will not object." When he removed his hand from his daughter's head and saw her pat down her hair, the elder God beamed. "You're a good, kind-hearted, hard-working child… and so is he. After seeing how well he looks after his family and his cattle back on Altair, I knew you two would really hit it off if I allowed you to meet."_

 _Shuffling a little nervously, the young Miroku lowered her head and nodded meekly. "I… I hope you're right, papa."_

 _The two then went about waiting, with the extra-terrestrial father and daughter duo attracting more attention by the second. It soon got to the point that a group of overly curious children from the village managed to get up the courage to approach the two beings, just to get a closer look. When they came up to the pair and circled them, while inquisitively tugging on their robes to see if they were actually real, the pair of celestials responded to the youngsters with kind greetings and actions. Miroku even summoned five spheres of golden chakra and began juggling them in the air in front of the country boys and girls, entertaining them, and bringing a swell of joy and excitement to the small crowd._

 _It was almost like they were watching a magic show._

 _While the young priestess was doing this, her father noticed a flash of blue appear on the other side of the wooden bridge, which quickly expelled a figure onto the path. When the new arrival started to walk across the causeway towards them, the old man tapped his daughter on the shoulder and pointed her towards the incoming male._

 _When Miroku spotted them, she quickly dispelled her juggling act, cutting her performance short and drawing a groan from the observing children. Apologizing to them, she then headed over to the bridge and started to cross it with her father, the two of them making their way to the middle where the newcomer had stopped._

 _The moment she reached the middle of the bridge, Miroku stopped abruptly- as did her breath._

 _Standing before her was a young man around her age of eighteen- coated in a glowing blue ethereal aura with short, wavy white hair, wearing a blue kimono robe, silver pants, black sandals, and black arm sleeves. On top of his handsome smile and sharp eyes, the man also had a black eboshi on top of his head, and two arcs of glowing blue energy arcing from his back similar to a pair of wings._

 _The reaction Miroku had at seeing the young man was almost similar to the reaction the boy had upon laying eyes on her, with both teens freezing for a moment when they faced each other._

 _Making his way between them, Miroku's father cleared his throat, getting their attention before addressing the white-haired man beside him. "It's good to see you again, farm boy. How are you doing today?"_

 _Realizing he was in the presence of his people's leader, the white-haired boy- Moryu- stammered momentarily before bowing his head to the man. "I-I'm fine, sir. A little bit jumpy, but good. How are you?"_

" _Good. I'm good too," the elder replied, before then gesturing to the young girl standing beside him- who was now doing her best to try and look as presentable as she could. "This is my daughter. The one that I told you about when I visited your farm."_

" _Oh? You mean… that's her?" the white-haired boy asked, looking the girl in the shrine-maiden clothes over briefly. Upon looking at her pretty face, the boy gulped before turning to smile up at the Sky God. "Sh-She's very lovely, sir."_

 _The father grinned at the boy's compliment. "Well, I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear you say that to her personally. Why don't you two hang out for a little while? Go for a walk around the village? Talk? I'm sure there's plenty for you two to see and do around here." He said this while stepping aside and making room for the pair to approach one another._

" _R-Right," the glowing young man gulped, quickly adjusting his hat and top before slowly walking over to the golden Miroku._

 _When the two stood in front of one another and got a better look at the person they were meeting, the pair at first remained silent. However, not wanting the scene to become too awkward, especially since more people from the village were starting to gather on either side of the river's bank, the young Moryu decided to break the ice and start the conversation._

" _H-Hi there," the man said, his voice breaking mid-sentence and causing him to wince. "Err… nice to… uhh… m-m-meet you…"_

 _Hearing the nervous inflection in the boy's voice helped to calm some of Miroku's jumbled nerves. In fact, upon seeing him attempt to recover from his stuttered greeting, the young celestial giggled and responded with a bright smile. "Did you just squeak?"_

" _What?" the white-haired boy scoffed. "N-No. That was just a… a sneeze."_

" _A sneeze? Really?" Miroku asked._

" _Well, it was definitely_ _ **not**_ _a squeak, that's for sure. Boys like me don't squeak," the young Moryu replied while puffing out his chest._

" _Maybe on Vega they do," Miroku said with a mischievous grin. "Do they grow whiskers too? Maybe even cute little tails?"_

 _The white-haired man's eye twitched a little before he held his hand up and shook his fist at her. "Huh? Are you making fun of me?" His little outburst only made Miroku laugh even more, which sort of calmed the flustered boy down some, as her giggles were warm and welcoming._

 _After letting her amusement run its course and catching her breath, the ethereal glowing Miroku stroked back her hair before standing straight and proud before the red-faced boy. "Why don't we start over?" She then held her hand out to the young man, who looked down at her gesture in surprise. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Orihime."_

 _Blinking a couple of times, the young Moryu looked up at the girl to see her still smiling and waiting expectantly for his response. Becoming captivated by her smile and the look in her glowing pink eyes, the red-eyed young man felt his heartbeat steady and his jitters subside. The moment they did, his own smile returned, and he promptly took the girl's hand in his and shook it._

" _Hello, Orihime. My name's Hikoboshi."_

 _Though the pair did their best to hide it, they couldn't help but allow the heat to rise in their cheeks, as the contact with one another caused their spirits to resonate. Even their different-colored auras seemed to merge and intertwine like their fingers, which was a sight that did not go amiss by the observing father or the nearby villagers._

(End Flashback)

OOO

Shockwaves tore up the countryside of the dead planet of giants for hundreds of miles in every direction, sending rubble and debris hurtling for miles around. Accompanying these terrifying tremors and sonic blasts, trenches and craters were ripped into the rocky ground, creating countless new caverns and canyons not seen by any living person anywhere in the universe. What's more, the once great mountain ranges that stretched proudly along the planet's many horizon lines, were effortlessly pulverized and blasted to smithereens. They were not only felled by a barrages of red and purple chakra blasts, but also by the bodies that were sent flying into them.

Receiving a hefty hit to the stomach from a fast-moving Urashiki, the battered Moryu spit up blood when he was sent hurtling across the landscape at breakneck speed. Smashing through a series of hills and tors along the way, the man quickly did his best to slow his tumbling and threw himself into a controlled power-slide. Slamming both hands and feet into the floor, the man dug his limbs into the floor until he stopped, leaving nothing but a series of fallen plateaus and a newly dug channel in his wake.

Gasping for air as blood trickled from his forehead and mouth, the now noticeably wounded man looked up with a start to see where his enemy had gone. His eyes landed on the burning valley in front of him just in time to suddenly see a red chain of energy appear in the sky about fifty miles away- spinning and spiraling through the air for about several hundred feet- before suddenly whipping towards him at light speed.

"Shit!" Moryu shouted, springing off of the ground as fast as he could and bolting for it. He managed to move just in time to avoid getting cut to ribbons when Urashiki's energy kusarigama sliced through the base of the mountain he'd stopped at.

As the chain of energy whipped and coiled through the air where it'd been thrown, it not only cut the mountain from its foundations, but also diced up the landscape and hills beneath it, sending rubble blasting into the sky, before sending it crashing back down to the planet. After several more coils and whips, the chain of energy retracted at speed, returning to its owner who was darting through the sky at blazing speed.

Also sporting a couple of noticeable cuts and bruises, the mutated Otsutsuki's golden eyes left a trail of light through the air at the speed that he traveled- searching the horizon and the lands for his elusive foe. When at first he couldn't spot him, the monster of an oni then spied a glint in the distance. Balking in alarm, the man then swung his staff around just in time to deflect a purple beam sent flying at him from between two plateaus. The laser slammed into his chakra shaft and refracted, splitting into multiple beams that cut through the sky and the planet below- carving a dozen more trenches into the ground that not only drew spurts of lava from the planet below, but also caused the surface of the world to detonate in several places.

The multiple trails of explosions went off all around as Urashiki finished deflecting the blast. Upon which he then landed atop a mountain, clenched his right fist beside him, before thrusting his palm towards where Moryu was. "TRY THIS!" The moment his palm opened, the golden Rinnegan that was embedded in it flashed red.

As the panting Moryu stood in place with his hands held up defensively in preparation for his foe's next attack, the demi-demon suddenly sensed a sharp build-up of chakra directly above him. Looking up in alarm, the man immediately saw a series of about twelve lances composed entirely out of crackling red chakra form in the clouds above him. The weapons circles one another, the tips of which were all pointed down at him and pulsing dangerously- almost as if they were set to explode.

From there, everything happened in an instant. The moment Urashiki conjured the enormous bladed spears, the Otsutsuki then gave a howl of rage and slammed his extended right hand into the ground. _**"TENGOKU NO YARI!"**_ (Heavenly Lances) This allowed him to telepathically will the glowing spears into dropping right down on top of their marked target, with every single blade coming down on Moryu all at once in a veritable hail of certain death.

A blinding red flash occurred, followed by a series of miniature explosions in the distance, before a second, white flash lit up the entire horizon. From the planet's orbit, an explosion akin to the thermonuclear warhead going off set the entire country ablaze. Shockwaves traveled around the entire planet and fire filled the skies, as a mushroom cloud unlike any other belched into the sky, sending bolts of golden lightning raining down on the planet and tearing apart the bits of landscape the blast's initial wave didn't reach. In a matter of seconds, the landscape that Moryu was standing on was quite literally transformed into a single, hundred-mile large crater of molten sand and glass.

As burning smoke continued to spew into the air from the center of the planet-fracturing cataclysm, from the heart of the calamity another phenomenon suddenly occurred. The black clouds of ash were suddenly parted when a blue beam of light surrounded by purple flames shot out of the crater and into the atmosphere. Vibrating and pulsing with an intense white glow, the pillar of chakra was soon revealed to be Moryu, who was holding both his hands overhead as if he were gripping a sword, standing in the field of melted earth.

Half his shirt burnt off of his body with half of his flesh charred black, the wounded but unfazed warrior gave a low growl. Taking aim with his newly forged chakra weapon at his distant enemy, the man took a step forward and swung down with his enormous blade. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" The blue beam of energy reaching up into the stratosphere quite literally cut the sky in half as it was brought down towards Urashiki, the energy giving a deafening roar as it plummeted towards the planet.

Urashiki, seeing the pillar of vibrating light falling towards him, recoiled in horror before bringing his staff forward, which quickly morphed into a solid red shield. The barrier jumped in front of him in the nick of time, because a split second later Moryu's sky-cutting sword crashed right down on top of him with the force of a thousand biju bombs going off all at once.

The initial roar of the shockwave was devastating, as the land beneath the energy blade's strike was massive. But the damage that followed seconds after that was biblical. The country for hundreds of miles around was fractured and split, as slabs of earth the size of mountains were displaced and sent shooting into the air. The tectonic plates holding the continent of giants shuddered under the force of Moryu's attack, with the one they were on quite literally splitting down the middle, and sending jets of lava shooting into the sky. If the flames from the blade's explosion wasn't enough to completely annihilate the landscape, then it was the volcanic trenches that were created from the aftershocks that did it.

As the landscape collapsed and combusted around him, Urashiki- his body being splashed by magma and lava- gave a low growl as he cupped a hand over his central eye. After gathering enough chakra into it, the oni of an Otsutsuki then ripped his hand away and opened the _Rinne-Sharingan_ that was present, which morphed into a full black iris that then fired a pure red beam of cohesive energy across the combusting landscape. The beam traveled at light-speed, cutting through every mountain, canyon, and wall of rock in its way towards Moryu.

The white-haired man that was the target of the laser, sensing the oncoming threat, quickly moved his head to the side just in time to avoid the attack punching through his forehead. He gave a loud yelp when the beam grazed his shoulder when he dodged the rest of it.

It was a good thing he did because Urashiki, continuing to feed energy into his beam, then cocked his head to the side and sent the beam slicing straight into the planet itself.

Any life forms living within view of the planet or its moons would at that moment easily see a red, sharp beam of energy emanating from its unnatural cataclysm effortlessly carve through the entire celestial body- cutting an entire third of the planet off of its host. The moment the beam sliced a piece of the planet off and dissipated, the world fractured, with the chunk that'd been dissected sharply sliding out of place and causing a series of catastrophic explosions along its axis.

Naruto and Shion, who were sitting on the larger side of the planet, away from the calamity, had to be held down by Miroku to stop from falling off of their, who could only watch in awe as the entire horizon in front of them literally caught fire.

As geysers of fire and lava gushed into the atmosphere from the exploding skyline, a slightly winded Urashiki summoned his kusarigama again and waited to see what would happen next. Having completely clear cut everything that standing in his way, he was sure he must've killed his foe. But, as he had shown over a dozen times already, Moryu was not going to be taken down that easily.

From the wall of flames that was spewing out of the valley in front of him, a shadow came rushing at him out of the inferno. Trailing purple energy, the slightly toasted but unamused Moryu came blazing towards the Otsutsuki like a bat out of hell. His fist engulfed in his dark, pulsing chakra, the man gave a howl of rage as he rocketed right towards Urashiki at full speed. "SURPRISE, ASSHOOOOOLE!" He then swung at the man with a straight punch, cracking the man in the arms when he attempted to block the blow.

The attack landed with a thunderclap, cracking the ground and sending Urashiki's body flying straight through a mountain standing directly behind him. The edifice itself was blasted off of its foundations, with its rubble being sent hurtling into the sky with a torrent of lava. At the same time Moryu followed, blitzing a trail of fire as he remained glued to his opponent's shadow. As they flew, the pair traded devastating, earth-shaking blows.

The speed they traveled meant they left their last battle zone miles behind- effortlessly in their dust. As the last mountain they crashed through continued exploding in the far, far distance, Moryu and Urashiki continued their deadly dance of death. Sparks flew when Moryu attempted to hit Urashiki with a hook from his glowing right arm, only to clash with the man's kusarigama staff. When that failed, he then retaliated with a kick, followed by another punch, and then a knee. The last one managed to nail the Otsutsuki in the chest and sent the large demon of a celestial hurtling out of the sky and into the landscape.

When his body smashed into the ground and bounced off of it, the oni quickly righted himself and landed in a crouched position on a flat slab of rock. Breathing heavily, the transformed Urashiki grinned and slowly rose to his feet. "After all the attacks you've thrown, you've still got this much energy left? Impressive," the Otsutsuki commented, looking up to see his opponent landed on a rocky hill a few hundred feet away. Stretching his head to the side and cracking his neck, the slightly grungy space-traveler quickly turned to face his opponent with what appeared to be glee reflected in his eyes. "Through your throws and swings, you show the spirit of a man that wants to protect someone."

Moryu remained unchanged in his expression or stance- keeping his arms up and his eyes locked squarely on the horned beast he was battling. Even though every muscle in his body was practically screaming at him to stop, as the chakra coursing through his veins was killing him from the inside-out, the man was not going to stop. Not while this Otsutsuki was still alive.

In that moment, Urashiki gave a very sinister leer as he brought up his right hand and opened up his fingers. Above the golden iris of the Rinnegan, he revealed a cluster of black chakra pills, all of which were orbiting one another. "Looks like half-assed measures aren't going to be enough to bring you down. I'll have to take this to the next level." Reaching up to his mouth and downing the pills in one gulp, the man's entire body sharply bulked up before a surge of power was sent coursing through him.

A gale of wind ripped from his body, along with a blast of red lightning. As his energy tore apart the surrounding ground, the transformed Otsutsuki then slowly, but surely, levitated off of the ground and into the sky. Moryu watched him cautiously, his face breaking out into a sweat as he sensed the celestial's energy climbing at an alarming rate. What's more, the weather and the atmosphere was appearing to be affected by the changes Urashiki was undergoing, which was not a good sign at all.

Clenching both his fists as red lightning shot off of his body as he levitated higher into the sky, Urashiki dispelled his kusarigama into thin air before raising his left hand. When he saw his foe still standing in the valley below, the oni grinned. "If I'm to crush you, I'm going to need an attack that will not only bring about your destruction… but the absolute destruction of this _**entire**_ dimension!"

Moryu recoiled slightly, but then gritted his teeth and held firm.

The moment he tightened his stance, it happened all at once.

A red sphere of twisting, spinning energy appeared directly in Urashiki's palm, which he then raised into the air above him. Once it did, a series of bright, blinding flashes blinked all around his body, before he was seemingly engulfed in searing red flames. These flames then seemed to spread at infinitum, engulfing not only the sky but the land beneath him as well. What followed from there was a series of shockwaves generated from the growing inferno, which set the rocky valleys on fire before decimating them with continuously recurring shockwaves that sent tsunamis of melted ground and lava rippling outwardly for hundreds of miles in every direction.

This ungodly anomaly could clearly be seen from space in the form of a burning red light, which only seemed to grow and expand with every passing second as the country beneath it was literally melted from the sheer intensity of the heat of its mass. The ground was practically liquefied from the amount of chakra now being poured into Urashiki's attack- the sphere of which was only growing more and more in size.

In a matter of seconds, not only had a country equivalent to the size of the _Hi no Kuni_ been instantaneously transformed into an ocean of orange slurry merely from Urashiki powering up his attack, but a sizable hole was now being burned into the side of the planet and the sky above the world had also been set on fire.

Even Naruto and Shion's area became caught up in the tidal forces of Urashiki's enormous attack. However, instead of being swallowed up by the tsunamis of lava washing against their mountain, the pair were shielded by the pink, translucent barrier of the girl's shield surrounding their platform.

"Oh Kami!" Naruto shouted, watching as lava splashed against the shield before sliding off and back into the ocean of lava surrounding them. "This is… _insane_!"

"Y-Yeah! H-How… how can all of this be happening?!" Shion gasped, clutching hold of the boy's arm as extra insurance as they both knelt watching the sky burn with the light of several suns. "It's like the world is ending!"

Instead of being incinerated by the heat now enveloping their region of the continent, the artefact instead protected them, and prevented the two children from being caught up in the hotpot of chaos now taking place around them.

Miroku, who was standing outside of the barrier and unaffected by the madness, simply stared through the cloud of ash with a nervous yet determined look on her face, as she sensed the attack now building in Urashiki's hand gain form.

OOO

(Flashback)

 _It was late afternoon over the new country of Oni no Kuni and after many, many years of conflict that'd been brought to the land, peace had finally been brought. Exactly when this sense of amity and tranquility had been achieved in this region of the Elemental Nations was unknown. However, what was known was that none of this bounty or good will could've been achieved were it not for the intervention of its saviors._

 _This was of course the two deities that, after years of visiting and dealing with the turbulent issues involving their respective families, had finally decided to tie the knot and settle down. Though over the many years that'd passed Orihime and Hikoboshi had found various other worlds across the cosmos to meet up and explore alongside one another, the best planet that they favored above all others was the quiet, lush garden of life that was the Earth._

 _After striking a deal with the human leaders of this region of the continent, the young celestial couple had managed to secure themselves a nice, quiet piece of land in the valleys, where they built themselves a comfy little temple home right beside one of the small village's. Here, not only could they get great views of the landscape, but it was also rich with resources and farming, which allowed the human population to toil and work comfortably, without fear of plagues or famine._

 _Well, it wasn't like they had any of that ill-will to worry about. Not when they literally had two Gods in human form taking up residence in the temple right next door to them. As long as they were there, the hand of evil could not touch them. Not even the influence of the Great Shinju Tree extended to them._

 _Up on a hill overlooking the field-covered countryside of their home away from home, surrounded by a field of gorgeous Aster tataricus flowers, a now noticeably older Orihime and Hikoboshi could be seen lying side-by-side with one another. Still encased in the ethereal glows of their respective home stars of their home dimension, the two lovers enjoyed the warmth and presence of the other- while also taking in the view of the surrounding countryside._

 _This much was clear from the way Orihime was lying against Hikoboshi's chest, her fingers running up and down his chest while his arm was wrapped protectively around her shoulders. She also had one of the Aster tataricus flowers tucked into her kimono, and seemed to bloom with new life at simply being in contact with her. Looking at how youthful the two of them were now, it was almost impossible to tell that both of them were in fact many centuries old._

 _However, given their divine origins, anything was possible._

" _You know… I've been thinking," Orihime began while looking up at her husband warmly._

" _Mm?" Hikoboshi murmured back, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the feel of the sun against his face._

" _If we were to settle down here on this planet… like, really settle down… we should consider becoming mortals ourselves."_

 _Cracking open an eye, the white-haired Hikoboshi glanced down at his wife. "Seriously? You're thinking of becoming a mortal like them?"_

" _Why not?" Orihime replied while shrugging. "You did say a few times already that we should become closer with our human neighbors. To learn more about them and their ways would be a very interesting area to research and discover. Not to mention to be able to experience the same sadness and joys that they do…"_

" _Yeah. But…" the male deity began while gesturing around the field they were on. "I meant build a house next door and help the neighbors with their farming problems. You know, be the voices of wisdom and spiritual guidance to the troubled and less-fortunate, much like the kin they have in political positions and education facilities. Surely you're not suggesting we toil in the same dirt as they do, because we already had those jobs back when we were living in Amanogawa."_

 _He was of course referring to their previous occupations as celestials. Back in the realms where they lived as Gods, not only did Orihime weave and sew signs and clothing out of the stars for her people, but Hikoboshi tended to the farm and looked after the cattle every single day, making sure all of them were happy and healthy. Those were the labors that they did back on their home planets, and it was the same jobs that they'd done for the last six thousand years._

 _After they got married and settled down, the other siblings in their families took over their roles, allowing the pair to have a break and enjoy their time together. This was a real welcome relief to the young celestial couple and gave them the opportunity to explore other avenues of their lives._

 _Of course, it also allowed their imaginations to run a little wild too, with the latest one apparently being this fantasy being concocted by the goddess of Altair._

" _I'm not suggesting we go that far," Orihime replied quickly, at the same time giving her lover a frown. "I mean cast aside our divine lights and join the humans as mortals too. We'll still retain our roles as official guides and leaders in their community, but in a more grounded and relatable manner. That way we'll be able to come to understand the people of this world a little better… and learn what it is like to live a full life as a human. Maybe even as a family."_

 _Hikoboshi scrunched his face up at his wife's words, as he then allowed a few moments for his brain to process them. As much as he loved the woman for her humor and her bouncy nature, she also did have a bit of an obsessive compulsive streak._

 _When she got going, it was almost impossible to stop her._

" _Well… if you're really thinking of becoming mortal one day, we have to come up with some new identities," Hikoboshi said, causing the goddess on top of him to gasp in excitement. "Yeah. I know you love playing pretend."_

" _Oh, oh, oh, I think I already have a name in mind," Orihime said while holding up her hand. When she saw her husband look at her, she then grinned and moved her hand through the air. "Miroku."_

" _Miroku? Like… the Buddha Ajita?" Hikoboshi asked, at the same time seeing his wife nod enthusiastically. "I'm guessing you're choosing that name because you want to become a teacher after you become human, huh?"_

" _Hmm… more like a priestess. I think that's a more fitting job for me. A teacher might be a little too extreme," Orihime replied with a smile. "Plus I won't be able to use any of my fortune-telling skills as much." She then rested her chin on her husband's chest and grinned at him. "Alright. What about you, hun?"_

 _Pausing for a moment, the white-haired deity then smirked before speaking in a low voice. "I think I'll be… Moryu: King of the Spirits and Goblins!" The moment he said that in a very cheesy and gravelly voice, Orihime's face puffed up before she burst out in uproarious fits of laughter. As a result, Hikoboshi looked down at his wife with a foul glare, "What? It's a great name!"_

" _Hahahaha! A-Are you serious?!" Orihime cackled, at the same time slapping his chest in amusement. "Haha! N-No way! Where the -HAHAHA- heck did that come from?!"_

" _Oh? You think that's funny, huh?" Hikoboshi playfully growled, before grabbing the woman by the hands and rolling them over. "Come here!" The goddess kept on laughing and giggling as the two of them rolled down the hill, stopping only after they reached the bottom of the small slope a few seconds later. When they did, the white-haired traveler was on top and his wife was beneath him, gasping for breath and looking up into his eyes._

 _Finding themselves lost in one another's gazes for a full minute, the slightly flushed pair then smiled, before Hikoboshi leaned in and gave Orihime a kiss. Remaining locked like that for several moments, the pair then separated. When they did, the blonde goddess's face heated up when she saw the hungry look in her husband's eyes._

" _What are you… going to do to me, Hiko-kun?" she asked in a soft voice- one that was also laced with a sense of want and anticipation._

" _Don't know yet, but we'll see," Hikoboshi whispered back, before quickly dipping in and locking lips with her once again in a more passionate kiss._

 _In a matter of moments, the pair began clawing at one another with their hands, in a growing desperate need to feel more of one another. It wouldn't be too long after that that the two would end up lost in each other and to the world, as the evening soon turned to night around them out there on the field…_

(End Flashback)

OOO

Beneath the blazing apocalypse-bringing-attack building directly above his head, Moryu stood upon a single, intact piece of rock bobbing up and down on the waves of lava washing and splashing around him. Unaffected by the elements and not showing any signs of being disturbed by the melting rock or the heat, the white-haired demi-demon merely held his ground as he brought his right arm back. His fingers, blackened from his muscles and skin undergoing necrosis from overuse of his dark chakra, clenched into a fist as he began focusing all of his chakra into his palm. Building it up at a rapid pace, the man allowed a purple aura to surround his entire fist, as he prepared to face down what would he believed would be his greatest and quite possibly his last challenge.

As the enormous, intense, pulsating ball of red energy gained stability above him, spewing flames and lightning everywhere as it held its state of critical mass, the completely unfazed Urashiki at its base then called out in a loud voice. "To the God that dwells in the body of a mortal, I want to hear your true name! Tell me it!"

Above the howl of the winds and energy, as well as the violent tides of the molten sea around him, Moryu heard the man loud and clear. Figuring that this would be his final moment, the man decided to hold back on the smack talk and replied with an honest-to-goodness answer, "It's Hikoboshi! Hikoboshi of Altair!"

Hearing him, Urashiki nodded in satisfaction. "Hikoboshi? A wonderful name! Out of respect for the fellow celestial and worthy rival I have found in this universe, I will offer you my strongest and most powerful attack!"

While this and the charging of said intent would've had anybody else shaking in their boots, Moryu instead smiled at the man's statement. This in turn had Urashiki balk a little, but then brought an excited grin back to the demon's face. At that moment, the stage had been set, the stakes had been laid, and their attacks had been prepared.

The equivalent of a second sun had been born above the collapsing planet, filling the sky with a blazing red light while the ground melted and crumbled beneath it. The light emanating from the anomaly was intense and blinding, and promised a swift and destructive end to anything caught in its wake. And standing beneath this gargantuan, planet-destroying mass of chakra, Moryu stood poised and at the ready, his right arm cocked back and shining brightly with blue and purple glow.

Pouring all of the energy he had coursing through his body into his hand, the white-haired demi-demon prepared to deliver unto his enemy his blast's most powerful form.

"KNOW THE MERCY OF THE GREAT CASTER GOD!" the oni bellowed as the red orb of pure energy throbbed dangerously overhead.

Moryu in kind took a step forward on his platform and loaded up his right arm. "THE LIGHT OF ALTAIR WILL RADIATE THE EARTH AND SKIES!"

"WITH THIS SINGLE STRIKE, I SHALL INFLICT EXTINCTION!" Urashiki shouted while pulling back his own arm for a throw.

"AND THE WORLD WILL REACH A NEW HORIZON!"

"BE REDUCED TO ASH! _**TENGOKU NO HANDAAAAAAAAN**_!" (Judgement of the Heavens) And with that, the Otsutsuki ripped the flaming ball of death out of the sky and hurled it directly down at the white-haired warrior below.

Moryu meanwhile responded in kind, digging his feet into the rock before thrusting his hand forward with a mighty roar. "I WILL BRING YOU DOWN! _ **TAIYO NO HIIIIIIIIIIIIII**_!" (Fire of the Sun) The moment his palm opened, an enormous surge of energy spewed from his hand and swallowed up the air in front of him. The torrent of purple fire tore up towards the approaching miniature sun like a comet, seconds before the two attacks collided with catastrophic force.

The planet almost cracked down the middle when the blast impacted against the red ball of chakra, resulting in a deadly tug-of-war match that saw the entire atmosphere transform into a raging inferno. While Urashiki clenched his teeth and telepathically pushed his attack towards the planet's surface with his hand, Moryu held his ground atop his crumbling platform, unleashing all the chakra he had from every single cell in his body into his one attack, which continued to pour from his hand like a raging river.

The fire that'd engulfed the melting landscape no longer seemed to matter anymore. It was all but a backdrop for the final clash that was now taking place between the two celestial beings. However, as the giant red ball slowly crept towards the planet below and Moryu's blast started to shrink, it became abundantly clear who was going to emerge victorious.

Screaming in pain through bared teeth, the white-haired demi-demon felt his entire body was on fire as he attempted to hold back the force of an exploding sun dropping down on top of him. As his muscles tore and skin burned, the man's eyes clenched shut as he continued to feed chakra into his stubborn beam.

" _My body is starting to fail…"_ Moryu gasped, squinting through one eye as he saw Urashiki's red moon-sized ball push even closer towards him through the stream of his opposing purple energy. _"If I let this thing touch the planet… Miroku will die! Shion-chan will die! And this entire universe will be turned to ash! As long as I have breath in my body… I will not let that happen!"_

As the platform he was on started to crumble under the shockwaves of wind and lava, Moryu collapsed to his knee and cried out in agony, as every fiber of his being felt like it was being ripped apart. The effort was just too great.

Urashiki, sensing his opponent's strength starting to wane, grinned widely and thrust his hand towards his death ball with a grunt. "YOU'RE FINIIIIIIIIIIIIIISHED!" he shouted, sending a shockwave into his planetary devastating attack and causing it to sharply expand in size. The loud howl of its power increase caused it to push further towards the dying world, coming closer and closer to swallowing up his foe, and ending this farce once and for all.

It seemed like the end…

OOO

(Flashback)

 _Inside the temple that resided in the middle of Oni no Kuni (Land of Demons), inside the very same hall that'd remained unchanged for the last few hundred years, the two celestial beings Orihime and Hikoboshi could be seen sitting with one another atop the podium. With their mountain's waterfall cascading behind them, and the pair seated together on the pillows in a tender embrace, it looked like the most picture perfect moment you could've ever asked for._

 _At this point, the two figures no longer had the ethereal glows that once surrounded them in their youths, which gave indication of their divinity. In fact, any and all traces of their celestial heritage could no longer be seen present on them in any way. Even their previous colorations had altered with their changes. What's more, to go along with their newly acquired forms, the pair had adopted new sets of clothing. Orihime- now going by the name of Miroku- was wearing a blue kimono robe and dress with dark trim to match her dark, silver hair. Her husband Hikoboshi on the other hand- now going by the name of Moryu- now had black hair, and was wearing a green tunic and pants._

 _The latter had his arms wrapped around his wife and his chin propped comfortably on her shoulder. This allows him to gaze into Miroku's smiling face as she gently rubbed her swollen belly, an indication that she was in fact pregnant._

" _It won't be long now," the mother said in a soft voice._

" _Yeah," Moryu chuckled, at the same time nuzzling his nose against her cheek and causing her to giggle at his show of affection. "I can't believe I'm going to be a father."_

" _And I'm going to be a mother," Miroku whispered, taking a deep breath as she relaxed into her husband's hold. After lying there for about a minute, the woman then blinked back into life and turned to the red-eyed former celestial. "Hey… I just realized, we haven't thought of a name for her yet."_

 _Also realizing they hadn't discussed anything of the sort before, the extra-terrestrial traveler looked back at the woman curiously. "What are you thinking?"_

" _Well…" Miroku murmured, at the same time looking down at her belly thoughtfully. "Since we both come from two different stars… maybe we can name her after one of our neighbors. Theta… Ryuku… Hikari…"_

 _Moryu scrunched his brow a bit, "Doesn't one of them sound a little too tomboyish? Do you think she will grow up to be like that…?"_

" _Maybe. Who knows? I guess that all depends on her," Miroku continued, before then throwing the man a thoughtful glance. "What do you think? What would you name her?"_

 _Giving it a moment of consideration, the raven-haired male then took on a cocky look and formed a fist in front of them. "Rodan- The Dragon Princess!"_

" _You're banned from naming anything in this household until further notice," Miroku replied in a flat and deadpanned tone, at the same time giving her husband a harsh glare._

" _HUH?!" Moryu exclaimed, appearing completely taken aback at his wife's immediate dismissal of his otherwise cool-sounding name. When he then noticed her foul look directed at him, the man pouted and looked away, while giving a sappy, "I'd like to see you come up with something better."_

 _While not really caring about her husband's sulking at the moment, the pregnant mother then had a look around their room for a brief moment to come up with some other ideas. Initially considering the waterfall behind them, Miroku then took notice of the china vase that was standing a few feet away from them, which held a bunch of beautiful white Aster tataricus flowers. They were the same flowers that grew out on the many hills she and Moryu often took walks on, and the ones that he always picked for her as a present to decorate her home._

 _After watching the flowers wave in the breeze that passed through the hall, the young mother then smiled before saying, "How about Shion?" Her name had Moryu look at the priestess in surprise, which in turn had the woman nodding her head affirmatively. "Yes. Shion. That's a wonderful name."_

 _Testing it in his head a couple of times, the raven haired Moryu soon found himself smiling as well. "Shion, huh? Yeah. That can work." He then rested his head back alongside his wife's, cuddling her a little closer and feeling his lover respond in kind. "Our little Shion."_

 _XXX_

 _About a few weeks later, Moryu found himself pacing up and down the main hall of his family's home- his hands behind his back and a nervous frown on his face- as he waited for news from the other room of his wife's condition. While he was shuffling about, the priestess's multitude of armored guards standing at attention beside every pillar in the chamber, watched as the former-celestial father wore out the floorboards beneath him as he continuously followed the same oval. As composed as they were, even the men and women armed with swords couldn't help but feel a little bit anxious, especially when they were in the presence of the nervous priest._

 _Rapping his fingers against his knuckle behind his back, Moryu once again checked the clock on the nearby wall to see how long it's been. Realizing it'd been well over an hour now, the man clenched his jaw and carried on marching, at the same time making plans to barge into the room to see if he could speed things along._

 _However, just when he was about to complete another lap of the chamber, the man was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of his wife's nurse. Dressed in a green kimono and an apron, the woman with raven-black hair tied into a top bun waved to the pacing Moryu and gestured for him to follow her. "Your wife is waiting for you."_

 _Not knowing what to expect when, the father took a deep breath before promptly following the nurse down the temple corridor. Following her past a multitude of shoji doors, the pair soon arrived at one guarded by two of the priestess's soldiers. Both standing at attention when Moryu approached, they then opened the door for the man and watched him walk in._

 _What greeted the anxious Moryu the second he stepped into the white room with the tatami mats was a large futon, a series of sheets lying alongside it, and his tired wife sitting at the end of the bed, cradling in her arms another bunch of sheets. Though there was another nurse present collecting the sheets and towels laid out around the spread, the man had all of his attention focused on the angel that was waiting patiently for him in the middle of the space._

 _Upon spotting her husband, the tired and still sweaty Miroku beckoned him over. When Moryu knelt down beside her, the mother then held out the sheets in her arm. "Say hello to your daughter," the woman said in a raspy, tired voice._

 _Looking down into the bundle the woman was holding out to him, the father's eyes shimmered in awe when he saw, lying in the woman's arms, was her newborn baby girl. Though her eyes were shut and head slightly turned away, when the man saw her breathing gently against the soft layers of her cradle, all other worries and fears were immediately banished from Moryu. In that very moment, all he could do was gawk and admire the beautiful little miracle of creation that was currently napping in his wife's arms._

 _The red-eyed celestial shakily raised a hand, "I-Is she…?"_

" _The doctor said she is perfectly healthy in every way. Not a single bruise or blemish on her at all," Miroku breathed, her hand balancing the baby's head as she gently rocked her. After staring down at her for a few moments longer, she then shuffled towards her husband's lap and held the bundle of sheets out to him. "Do you want to hold her?"_

 _Surprised and hesitant at first, the father tentatively then took the child out of Miroku's arms, and carefully cradled his daughter in his arms. As he rocked her gently and watched her murmur in her sleep, indicating that he might've accidentally stirred her slumber, Moryu then stilled his movements. Looking over her little face, from her cute forehead, to her tiny nose, and to her little lips, the new father felt his heart flutter._

 _Watching his reactions carefully, Miroku sat there on the futon quietly. Though she was well within her right to lie down and sleep, she wanted to be there to witness this moment. After all, it wasn't every day you get to see your husband meet their child for the very first time._

 _Steadying himself, a smile then crossed Moryu's lips as he watched his baby girl sleep peacefully in his arms. "Shion-chan… I promise you… I will never let any harm come to you."_

" _I promise."_

 _XXX_

 _(Several months later)_

" _NO!"_

" _B-But Miroku-"_

" _NO! I refuse to listen to this nonsense for one more second!"_

" _But if you would just understand what I'm trying to-!"_

" _Oh, I think I understand plenty!"_

 _It was the beginning of July, close to Miroku and Moryu's anniversary, and on this particular day, it was raining heavily outside. In fact the sound of the weather hammering down on the temple roof could be heard echoing throughout the entire home, especially in the large hall that the former-celestials often inhabited. However, on this particularly miserable day, the once happy couple had once again found themselves tangled in another fierce debate._

 _Unlike their previous playful banters and fights though, this one did not sound good-natured at all. Quite the opposite in fact._

 _Dressed in her purple-colored shrine-maiden robes, keeping her hair combed back with a tiara of gold, and cradling her baby in her arms, Miroku could be seen standing in front of their hall's podium and glaring heatedly across at her husband. The latter of whom, Moryu, was adorned in a black shirt, baggy grey pants, a grey robe, and a black eboshi, and was currently looking back at the woman with a distressed look on his face._

 _Kneeling on the floor directly behind the red-eyed former celestial, arranged into a row of four, were a squad of shinobi of unknown origins, dressed in layered white robes. They were keeping their heads low and their eyes to the floor, as both the husband and wife had it out with one another._

 _From the way the argument was going however, it didn't look like their side was winning._

" _Miroku, please! Listen to what I have to say," Moryu pleaded back while extending his hands towards his lover in a desperate bid to get her to see reason behind his words, "The Five Great Nations have just recently gotten over one massive conflict. Before that, there had been at least two more world wars since the foundation of the main villages- with countless more conflicts during the Great Schism period. And in every single one of these events, countless people have fought and slaughtered one another in droves- families and friends, rich and poor, shinobi and civilians alike. What if another war like those were to break out again near here? What if war were to cross over into our lands?!"_

" _Then we will deal with it as it comes," Miroku answered back sternly, keeping her baby daughter close to her chest as she glared back at her husband, who could only shake his head at his wife's stubborn refusal to accept what he was giving to her. "This is not our world, Moryu. It never was. We're merely guests on this planet. What the hu-… what_ mankind _chooses to do with itself inside their own borders should be of no concern to us. At least not to the point that we have to step in and resolve every single one of their problems ourselves. All we're permitted to do as visitors is to observe and interact with them for little moments at a time- nothing more. Or have you forgotten all of that?"_

 _Gnashing his teeth, the red-eyed demi-human then stepped forward and waved at the woman. "And have you forgotten that it was_ _ **your**_ _idea for us to cast aside our immortality to live the life of humans in the first place?! Because I haven't! And now look where we are!"_

" _Are you saying that all of this is somehow_ _ **my**_ _fault?!" Miroku asked, appearing shocked that he would even suggest something like that to her._

" _No! I…" Growling in frustration and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Moryu took a deep breath to compose himself before once again facing his stubborn wife. At the same time the rain coming down right outside their hall's main balcony suddenly grew heavier, and the sound of a loud thunderclap echoed in the distance- setting the tone for things to come. "Look… Miroku… as much as I trust your judgement and your wisdom, I can't just sit by and do nothing, while the rest of the world tears itself apart around us! Especially when we are no longer protected by the gifts of our home stars!" The man then pointed in a random direction- not knowing where he was referring but not caring nonetheless. "If these apes can turn on one another over a silly little issue such as a scroll being stolen or a person being killed… then think about what they can do to us if they find out about our past divinity… or worse… what they can do to Shion."_

 _When she heard Moryu say this, Miroku's eyes widened and she quickly looked down at her little baby girl. Seeing her little blonde head turn in the fabric of her sling and her little eyes flutter open, the mother's heart almost stilled when she heard her daughter whimper and coo, which in turn gave her pause._

 _Though her husband did make a good point, Miroku could not bring herself to go against everything she stood for- as both a goddess and a priestess._

 _Deciding to make his stand count, Moryu quickly formed a seal and summoned his chakra. In a flash, two arcs of solid blue chakra appeared from his back and formed into wings behind him. Glowing brightly the moment they appeared, Miroku then watched as her husband's previously dark hair turned white and the color in his red eyes became much more pronounced._

 _Knowing that his wife could sense his chakra spike, the now charged-up celestial spoke, "Do you see? With my power and your skills combined, the entire world will be under our control! No country on Earth will ever go to war with one another again, and the people of these lands will no longer have a reason to fight amongst themselves! They won't have to! Not when the two of us are ruling over them! All their problems and past quarrels will be put to rest, and our family will be finally safe!"_

 _Gritting her teeth when she heard this and glimpsed the look in her husband's eyes, Miroku actually took a step back. "Such folly," she whispered, her words causing Moryu's head to perk up and she quickly followed it up with an angry retort. "Are you really that foolish? Have you really no faith in mankind?" She then covered her child's head and said in an even louder voice, "Have you really no warmth or love for the people who took us in and welcomed us onto their world?!"_

 _Moryu's frown deepened as his eyes flared, "Faith in them?_ _ **That**_ _sorry lot? You cannot be serious, Miroku?! These humans have been given countless opportunities to make things right! To settle their differences and to work together to create a better future for their children! But no matter how many times they break bread, sign papers, or shake hands with their neighbors, it only takes a little push from one of them… just one push… and they're all back to gutting one another like fish again! They're animals, Miroku. Nothing but lowly animals!" He then angrily threw his hand out and barked, "I wouldn't trust these disgusting apes with a single thing… AND YOU'RE A FOOL FOR THINKING YOU CAN TRUST THEM TOO!"_

 _Hearing these words come from her husband's lips shocked Miroku, who took a terrified step away from the man. At the same time, the man's screams woke Shion from her sleep and caused her to start crying. It was when the child started wailing into her mother's breast that the outraged and desperate Moryu suddenly realized what he'd said and quickly stepped back._

" _W-What's happened to you?" Miroku whispered, her eyes shimmering as she looked at the person who was supposed to be her husband- the kind, compassionate man that she'd fallen in love with all those centuries ago. Now… she had no idea what she was looking at._

 _Sensing his chakra had flared to the point that he'd caused the floor around them to crack, the man shakily lowered his hand and deactivated the chakra arcs behind him._

 _When he did, Moryu looked back up towards his wife, who he saw was staring at him in abject horror. "Miroku… I'm-"_

" _Get out."_

 _Recoiling at this, the red-eyed demi-human quickly tried to apologize. "I… I didn't mean-"_

" _GET OUT!" Miroku screamed, at the same time stomping towards him while holding Shion close to her. "Leave… and don't ever come back! You hear me?! I don't want to see your face or hear your vile words again!" When she saw the man try one last time to get a word in, the woman flared her own chakra, causing her tiara to flash gold and the gem in the center of it to glimmer. The act of which not only sent a shockwave rippling down the hall, but also fractured the walls and the wooden floors of the entire chamber. "GET OUT! NOW!"_

 _Not wanting to incur the woman's wrath or upset her any further- especially when she was holding Shion- Moryu did what she said. Without another word, the man spun around and left, with the four nerve-rattled ninja behind him also rising up and following their client out. The group left as fast as they could, with Moryu only stopping for but a moment to look over his shoulder, where he saw Miroku collapse to her knees. From there, he was only able to glimpse the tear-stricken mother comforting her baby, whose wails and cries continued to echo throughout the room, before the man turned away and left…_

(End Flashback)

OOO

Eyes widening back into reality following the flashes of memories that shot through his head, Moryu gritted his teeth and took a stance. Through sheer pain and effort, as his energy continued to expel forth from his hand, the white-haired demi-demon lifted himself off of the searing floor and towards the red ball of death crashing towards him. As it was only meters away from reaching him, the man knew he had to give it his all if he had any hope of pushing it back.

"I… I…" the pale-haired male hissed, the sight of his form rising amidst the flames of their colliding attacks causing the observing Urashiki to recoil in astonishment. "I AM… THE HUMAN DEMON MORYU! THROUGH THIS MORTAL BODY… I WILL CREATE AN EMPIRE FOR MY FAMILY… FOR MY SHION… THAT WILL LAST A THOUSAND YEARS!" His red eyes glinting brightly as the veins in his body bulged and throbbed into view, the white-haired warrior then took a deep breath as his shirt was effectively incinerated by the fires surrounding him. "TAKE MY FURY! TAKE IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL!" His scream was matched by the thunderous roar of his energy exploding from his extended palm and tearing up the length of his beam towards Urashiki's attack.

The moment his surge of energy reached the head of his blast, his entire attack expanded and grew in size at an alarming rate. In that moment, Moryu's chakra blast started to force the falling artificial sun back- little by little edging it towards its owner. The Otsutsuki meanwhile had to grab hold of the wrist of his extended hand, as he could feel the strain of his opponent's attack starting to bear down on him.

"Impossible!" Urashiki shouted, his teeth bearing as the tug-of-war match suddenly started to take an unexpected turn. _"He… still has… chakra to spare? HOW!"_ By his estimation, the man should be completely empty. Hell, he was probably just running on fumes. So what the hell was driving him to fight so hard?

As the planet started to slowly implode under the sheer weight of the chakra match taking place on its northern hemisphere, with molten cracks and fractures appearing all across the sphere's surface, Moryu continued to feed energy into his blast to push back the attack. However, as seconds ticked by, the man quickly realized that he couldn't push it back any more, leaving the pair locked in a stalemate. This immediately had the demi-demon grit his teeth and clench his eyes shut.

" _Not even this… is enough…"_ Moryu thought. He believed above all hope that he would be able to do it. But it appeared his arrogance had gotten the better of him.

Just when it looked as though it was all over, through the fire, the smoke, and lava, a third party suddenly appeared. Streaking in from over the horizon and diving right into the blazing ball of red chakra, a golden bolt of energy came charging directly into the middle of the fray. Shockwaves rang out as they punched through the heat being generated by the two colliding techniques at ridiculous speed and, through the roar of the flames and the howl of wind, a familiar voice screamed out.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" The woman's cry had Moryu look up in alarm. When his eyes landed upon the giant ball of fire above him, he saw the golden form of Miroku cutting a path straight through it and towards its center. Her body protected by a cloak of pure energy, the woman spun a golden shakujo staff around her body before swinging it out and thrusting it forward. "I WON'T… LET YOU DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEE!"

The instant she rammed her sounding staff into the heart of Urashiki's attack, a blinding flash of light suddenly occurred- which swallowed up not only the artificial sun threatening to explode, but also Moryu's beam as well. In the blink of an eye, both of these masses of energy were sealed within a translucent globe of pulsating light, a split second before the bubble itself shrunk. The barrier contracted so fast that it vanished seemingly instantaneously, leaving nothing but a thoroughly melted, glass crater in the middle of the country.

As the smoke from the anti-climactic exchange billowed about him, the incredibly confounded Urashiki searched the area in front of him for several seconds to ascertain for himself what'd happened.

When the clouds parted from the site of the cataclysm, the Otsutsuki then saw it. Or more accurately… he saw _her_.

Standing directly in front of the wounded and exhausted Moryu, enveloped in a golden ethereal light, was the blonde-haired form of Miroku. As her clothes and hair seemed to billow about on an unseen breeze wafting around her, the woman's skin was alight, and covered in a series of what looked like red Sage Mode patterns. These markings were more prominent around her face, in which the woman had developed red sclera, line marks running down her cheeks, and a circular mark on her forehead. What's more, to accompany her startling transformation, her chakra had also solidified in two different places. The first took the form of a long sheet of silk that was connected to both her arms and was wafting on the wind behind her. The second was a golden ring floating above her head with an orb floating in the middle of it- but not quite like a halo due to the fact that it was rotated facing forward.

Her pink eyes were also glowing with a kaleidoscope pattern, giving further credence to her startling metamorphosis.

Though it took him a moment, Urashiki was easily able to recognize the woman. "You?"

"Miroku…?" Moryu whispered, at the same time looking up at the woman in disbelief. "You've… unsealed your full power?"

Glancing over her shoulder at her wounded partner and ally, the High Priestess beamed. "You're taking too long, so I'm tagging you out."

Blinking awake, the white-haired demi-demon quickly stood up. "Y-You can't! If you fight him at full power, your body will burn out and your organs will shut down! You'll die!"

"Apparently I'm doing a lot of things today that I'm going to regret," Miroku murmured, at the same time turning her attention back up to the Otsutsuki to glare at him. When she saw the oni start to float down from the sky towards the planet again, the ethereal priestess then continued to speak. "Don't worry. As soon as I've finished this battle, we're going home. You, me, Naruto-kun, and Shion-chan."

Hearing this despite the great distance between them, Urashiki gave a loud bark of a laugh as he then touched down on the scorching soil of the plateau that'd been standing directly beneath him. "And what makes you think I'm going to let any of you leave here today? Do you think I'm stupid enough to let those two children escape? I've sensed their power and their potential. They're not going anywhere."

A wicked smile coming upon her face, Miroku cocked her head at the celestial. "Tell me… you don't really believe that your attack just happened to disappear into thin air, do you?"

Smile disappearing, the five-eyed Urashiki thought about it for a moment before his brow creased thoughtfully. "You… transported it?"

"That's right. And where do you think I could've possibly sent your galaxy destroying ball of death?" the High Priestess asked, continuing to smile as she then lifted her chin a little. "I'll give you three guesses."

After several seconds of thinking about where the woman could've sent that attack, Urashiki's eyes suddenly widened in horror before his jaw dropped at her. "No. You didn't…?!" Of all the possible places she could've sent it- the void, a deserted universe, an empty planet, a black hole- there was really only one place that made sense to him. It was the only logical answer, as it was what would hurt him the most.

"I sent it to the Otsutsuki home world," Miroku finished, narrowing her eyes on the now gaping Urashiki. "The planet where all the parasitic members of your main family- including your elders and leaders- are currently residing. I'm guessing they've all been atomized by now… all thanks to you." She then finished her words with a grin. "Whoops."

As realization fully dawned on the transformed Otsutsuki pathfinder, Urashiki felt his anger and outrage grow. His fists clenching to the point his talon-like nails dug into his palm and drew blood, the celestial then gave a loud growl of anger- his entire body shaking with unheard of levels of fury. "W-Why… yooouuuuu… _bitch_!"

"Damn, Miroku," Moryu gasped, as he looked across at the woman with both a stunned and nervous look all at once. "That's cold… even for you." The fact that she just wiped out an entire planet of over a hundred thousand people without batting an eye spoke volumes.

Miroku turned to look back at her ex and smiled at him. "I guess… after becoming human, I also picked up a few traits that you and I never even considered having… including how to play dirty and how to be callous." She then shrugged and looked back towards Urashiki to see him conjure up his red chakra rod out of his back and spin it into view. "In any case, a mother will do _anything_ to protect her child… even commit mass genocide against a race of planet-eating people."

Blinking at her reasoning, the demon-male then cracked his own smile and gripped his shoulder. "Is it wrong that this new version of you turns me on a little?"

With her back turned to him, Moryu was unable to see Miroku's cheeks turn red and the smirk that came upon her face. "Pervert." When she sensed Moryu grin at her from behind, the mother then flexed the fingers of the hands she had concealed under the sleeves of her top, which continued to billow on the wind. "Go and protect Shion and Naruto. Leave the rest of this to me."

"Okay," Moryu nodded, crouching down before vanishing in a flash of purple flames.

The moment the white-haired male vacated the area, Miroku was able to concentrate all of her attention on her foe, whom she saw swung his modified kusarigama out and clench his fists. With a mighty bellow that could be heard for miles around, the mutated Urashiki unleashed a shockwave that rippled outward, splitting the ground, dispelling the clouds, and cutting through the mountain ranges behind him. With it, his chakra levels spiked to a completely new level, causing Miroku to narrow her eyes on his form as he allowed his rage to take hold of him and increase his strength.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!" Urashiki screamed as red chakra began to spew out of his body and form into a vortex around him. The act of which caused clouds to gather and swirl above him- forming into a hurricane that started altering the weather patterns across the entire world.

With the planet already destabilizing from the amount of damage it was taking, it was only a matter of time before it came apart.

Figuring she should speed up the process a little, Miroku brought her arm up and thrust her hand out behind her. A brilliant glare of light then blasted from her palm, which in turn resulted in an enormous spatial rift opening up directly beside the planet. The moment the swirling wormhole with the golden rim appeared in space, the world that they were on was swallowed up in a matter of seconds. When they were spat out the other side, the entire sky lit up brightly as an enormous sun came into view just within orbital reach- with the planet set on a collision course with said star.

On their side of the world, Naruto and Shion saw the sun appear in the sky above them, and could only gape up at it through the protective barrier that was surrounding them. When Moryu arrived on their mountain-top clutching his wounded side, even he blinked in surprise to see that they were flying directly towards the sun of their home planet's Solar System.

Urashiki's eyes locked onto the approaching solar body in shock. "What?!"

"If I screw up, then we're _all_ going to pay for my insolence," Miroku replied as she glared down the still enraged Otsutsuki. "I am the Priestess of the Land of Demons! Do not take my power lightly!"

Clenching his fang jaw shut, the red-skinned menace from another world then barked at her, "You think I'm scared of you, wench? You think I'm afraid?! Well, you're wrong! I've come across millions like you!"

Miroku's frown only widened at this as she then took a step forward, her sandal scraping against the ash-covered ground into a standing-stance. "I'm sure you have. But count me as your last." When she saw Urashiki cock back his energy rod to prepare to throw the scythe at the end of it, the priestess clenched her fists. "Every force you create has an echo. Your own bad energy will be your undoing!" The moment she said that, the golden energy surrounding her flared up and caused her clothes and hair to blast upwards as if taken by a fierce gale.

A blast of wind also tore from her body and rippled across the landscape, causing the earth to crater and melt beneath her at the force of her power-up. When Urashiki was hit by this shockwave, his body literally froze up on the spot and the man found himself gaping in abject horror at the amount of power he felt. Unable to throw his kusarigama forward, the horned space-traveler could only watch in disbelief as the golden Miroku- who was easily standing half a mile away from her- suddenly flew right at him, covering the space between them in the time it took for an ordinary person to blink.

She moved so fast that it looked like her still standing body just slid toward him across the searing ground like a ghost, before vanishing in the form of an after-image.

Well, at least that's what it looked like from Urashiki's perspective. As it turns out the wind that was still blowing against him turned out to be Miroku's attacks, which did not register to him until she disappeared when his entire body was bombarded by a blinding string of ridiculously fast and powerful blows. The entire front of the man's robe practically exploded when holes and hand mark indentations appeared all over his chest and torso, as the fast-moving princess riddled the Otsutsuki with over fifty palm and finger strikes to his pressure points.

Urashiki was quite literally pummeled into submission, the man spewing up blood as a series of thunderclaps rang out in rapid succession following the salvo. Stumbling back under the damage he received, he was unable to see Miroku's body rematerialize directly behind him with her back turned.

The moment she appeared, Miroku sprang into the air, spun around, and then drove a flying knee into the back of the Otsutsuki's head. Her blow landed with a loud clap of lightning, sending the oni stumbling forward in shock, before she drove a second one in for good measure.

Stunned by the attacks, Urashiki spun around and took a swing with his kusarigama at his airborne opponent- the chain of his staff whipping out in a flash and extending towards the horizon like a curving beam. Miroku of course dodged in instantaneously, allowing the attack to cut through whatever mountain ranges were still standing in that direction; literally bringing them down. Tracking her with his _Byakugan_ as best as he could, the Otsutsuki gripped his weapon in two hands and, with a howl of rage, sent his chain whipping and coiling out across the country in every direction.

Hills and plateaus were fell, craters were filled, chunks of land were cut from their placements, and the scorched crater resulting from the exchange of planet-ending attacks was also chopped through. Pivoting around on the spot, the enraged Urashiki continued lashing out with his energy weapon, also throwing a series of red energy blades and black chakra receivers from his other hand, all in an attempt to hit his fast-moving foe. But to no avail.

"DAMN IT! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Urashiki screamed, having completely lost sight of his target as he continued to lay waste to the countryside. Not only was she stronger than that Moryu/Hikoboshi character in both his initial dragon stage and then his humanoid stage, but she was faster too.

"Right here."

Gasping, Urashiki quickly pulled back his hundred-mile long energy chain and spun around to face his enemy. The moment he did, he immediately came face to hand with the glowing Miroku's palm who, with a flash of her brilliant pink eyes, suddenly hit the alien with an invisible telekinetic blast- the force of which literally caused the space around them to distort.

Deafened by the sheer volume of the attack that it caused his ears to ring, Urashiki almost spat up all of his internal organs when he was hit in the chest by the force of a thousand comets and sent hurtling across the ruined planet's surface. His body contorted and twisted as it flew across the barren wasteland, smashing through hills and bouncing over deep canyons, before his body was effectively rag-dolled into a giant corpse sitting against a large cliff. The moment his hapless form smashed through its chest armor and into its cavity, the titan body and the cliffs behind it were incinerated by a blinding red explosion, which filled the stratosphere with a flaming mushroom cloud.

Before the explosion had fully died down, the front of the fiery pillar burst outwards and a trail started blazing its way across the landscape. Tearing a trench through the ground at the speed that he was traveling, a very damaged and upset Urashiki- kusarigama in hand- screamed his way across the planet and back towards his foe with a vengeance.

Miroku responded in kind, summoning up her golden shakujō before springing off the ground and charging right back. Their forms could be seen from orbit, tearing across the continent in the forms of a golden and red bolt respectively. When the pair collided in the middle, an explosion akin to a meteor hitting the planet erupted from the ground and shattered the landscape. Fire, lava and rubble spewed high into the atmosphere as a crater unlike any other was punched into the surface of the planet, with multiple shockwaves inside said explosion ringing out as the duo proceeded to clash inside the cataclysm.

The force behind this blast was so great that it travelled all the way through the world- coming out the other side in the form of a secondary explosion. The result caused the two halves of the world and any other chunks that'd been dissected from it during the battle to start separating, with the world itself drawing ever closer towards the sun.

From a distance, it was clear to see that this wasn't just some petty battle between two mortals- but a clash between Gods.

Following the massive geyser of an explosion that jutted out of the continent, a trail of multiple dome-shaped explosions detonating one after the other suddenly ran along the equator of the planet at great speed. Tearing a path of craters and holes for hundreds of miles, the source of the explosions revealed themselves to be Urashiki chasing after Miroku and lashing out at her with multiple attacks. The priestess meanwhile, casually avoiding the blade of the man's kusarigama, kept just out of reach of the celestial's swings, at the same time giving him a piercing glare.

After watching the woman dodge his scythe again, which prompted him to hurl a fireball at Miroku, which she handily deflected, Urashiki then gave a roar of outrage. "RAAAGH! WHAT ARE YOU?!" He then took another swing at her, this time shooting the chain of his weapon out to entangle her, but missing when she twirled around it and returned to glaring at him. "WHY CAN'T I HIT YOOOOUU?!"

He then attempted another chopping strike with his weapon, only to receive a sharp jab to the face that caved in his nose and drew a spurt of blood. Lurching backwards from the force of the hit that effectively stopped his combo, the celestial gasped in fright and quickly retreated. It was a good thing he did, because at that exact moment, the airborne Miroku used her shakujō to conjure up a cluster of golden energy balls. This basketball sized sphere orbited her a few times before being launched after the fleeing Otsutsuki.

When Urashiki flew across the landscape and over the mountains, the golden balls homed in on him, but then missed and ended up peppering the landscape a mile away and lighting them up with individual golden explosions. After sharply changing course and deciding to gain altitude, the golden chakra balls fired by Miroku ended up shooting off into the thermosphere, before striking against the spatial barrier she'd constructed and sealed the planet in, and effectively detonating away from their target.

Miroku clicked her tongue in annoyance when she saw the Otsutsuki now keeping his distance. "Damn, mosquito." Deciding to stop his movements by force, the priestess stretched both her arms out to the side, taking aim with her eyes before slapping her hands together. "HA!"

What happened to Urashiki as he was flying was instantaneous. Before he could retaliate with another eye-beam at the glowing woman, his entire body suddenly became flattened and trapped inside a golden pane of what anyone would first mistake as glass. However, it was in fact a seal composed of light chakra, which enveloped the Otsutsuki and trapped him in a 2-dimensional plate, leaving him pressed flat up against it in a rather hilarious pose conveying surprise.

As his eyes darted about and the oni tried to figure out what'd just happened, Miroku suddenly teleported directly behind the large pane of glass chakra and smashed it to bits with her shakujō. The shards of the seal scattered through the air, before suddenly turning into red masses of energy that quickly came together and reformed into Urashiki, who quickly flew back as fast as he could, covered in multiple cuts and bruises.

Spitting up blood, the Otsutsuki with the missing horn glared murderously up at the airborne priestess. "This woman is insane!" The moment he said that Urashiki quickly realized that he could no longer see his opponent.

Eyes widening in alarm, the man was suddenly slammed over the head shoulder by Miroku dropping down on him with her shakujō, knocking him down towards the planet that he then crashed into like a small meteor from low orbit. The blast of debris that followed shot up into the atmosphere and left a massive crater in the middle of the ruined, barren wasteland.

Spinning her sounding scepter about, Miroku then thrust it down towards the very spot she'd sent her opponent. After the end of her weapon gleamed brightly, a massive golden explosion erupted from the crater and shot straight up into the planet's thermosphere. What seemed like an ordinary pillar of golden light, actually turned out to be an explosion shaped like a crucifix. The tower of light vibrated and crackled with brilliant energy as it burned a hole straight through the dying planet's surface, and mangled whatever poor soul had managed to get caught up in it.

The explosion was so tall and so bright that Naruto, Shion and Moryu were able to see it from where they were standing. This time it was from the other direction, as the two fighters had managed to circle all the way around it from the other side.

The attack lasted for about several long seconds before the chakra behind it dissipated. When it did, Miroku's glowing form dropped down from where it was floating up in the clouds and land on the burned soil. Though any normal person would've been incinerated by her attack, the priestess kept her defenses up as she glared at the smoke rising from the enormous sinkhole she'd made in the land.

Just when it seemed like nothing was going to happen, the cloud in front of her burst open and Urashiki came screaming out of it. Flying right at the priestess like a bat out of hell, the red-skinned, incredibly charred warrior rushed at her and threw a right haymaker right towards her face. Due to the speed that he used and the fury in which he struck out at his target, it looked like he was able to catch Miroku completely by surprise.

But just when his fist seemed to land against her face, it was suddenly brushed off course by the golden aura surrounding her- like two magnets repelling one another. However, the moment his right hand was brushed away, Urashiki's skin and muscles suddenly turned grey and started to crumble. Gasping and yanking his hand away as fast as he could, the Otsutsuki then screamed when he felt a searing pain shoot down his limb.

He then watched in horror as his hand literally started to crumble into ash. _"N-No way! How could she-?"_ Apparently the light aura surrounding her and protecting her was so potent that it could incinerate any foreign presence trying to come into contact with her.

Feeling his nerves were practically melted by his attempt to land a decent blow on his target, Urashiki then looked up at the woman and prepared to use another attack. But by the time he glanced up at her, his eyes widened considerably when he saw Miroku holding her left hand out to him with a tiny yellow ball of pure chakra hovering in her palm. The second his eyes landed on the attack which she had charged and ready, the priestess unleashed it.

"Disappear," Miroku whispered, before a blinding flash of light engulfed her and Urashiki.

The Otsutsuki's scream of terror was completely drowned out by the howl of the blast that erupted from Miroku's hand. The priestess let out a cry of fury when she added more power to her attack and sent the violent celestial being tumbling down a river of pure energy, which practically incinerated everything in its path. The blast was so enormous that its width actually managed to reach up into the clouds and parted them, while the attack itself arced around the entire curvature of the planet before shooting off into space. The entire thing only lasted a few short seconds, but once Miroku cut off the energy to her attack, the beam of ethereal light faded.

The result of her attack left a canyon sized trench that started directly at the front of her feet where she was currently standing and stretched clear across towards the horizon following a straight line. With smoke rising from the enormous crevice that had possibly also transformed into glass in several places due to the intense heat generated by the attack, Miroku had every reason to believe that she'd managed to annihilate their opponent once and for all.

At that, the priestess quickly deactivated her Godly form. The golden aura and markings covering her body quickly vanished, as did the chakra constructs that came with it. When the flames whisked away, Miroku was left severely winded and dizzy. Gasping the moment she dropped back to her normal form, the woman wobbled a bit on the spot before collapsing to the ground, where sweat began dripping down her face and body.

"There. It's… over," Miroku breathed out, her body trembling from the strain of having used her full power for such a long time.

In checking her body over, the woman lifted her hand and checked the palm. When she did, she saw the veins in her wrist and forearm were irritated, and glowing a hot yellow underneath. This had the woman stiffen her jaw and clench her fist shut, as she knew that she definitely overdid it during her fight.

However, just when the High Priestess thought it was all over and that she could finally return to the others, her eyes widened when she sensed a presence and looked up through the clouds. When she watched them part, she saw her foe Urashiki hovering just a few hundred meters away in place…

Except he… wasn't exactly all there.

Having obviously turned into the woman's attack at the last second, the wounded and very exhausted Otsutsuki took the brunt of her entire blast to his right hand side. Not only was the entirety of his robe completely incinerated, leaving him in only his grey pants and sandals, but the man's right arm was gone, the right side of his chest and some of his torso had been melted and charred black in the obvious area of effect, and the entire right side of his face had been burnt right down to the muscles. Even some of his hair had been shaved away, including the horn.

Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight.

Around the same time, Moryu, carrying both Naruto and Shion under his arms, arrived on the scene via one of the demon's portals. When they deposited themselves on the ground several yards from where Miroku and the enormous canyon she'd formed were, the three of them were startled to see that Urashiki was still alive.

"Oh man," Naruto murmured, spotting the red-skinned alien and seeing the horrifying state he was currently in. Two of his five eyeballs had actually been popped too, which was unnecessarily gruesome.

Shion on the other hand became more concerned for her mother, whom she could see was kneeling at the edge of the cliff in an exhausted and completely worn state. "K-Kaa-san!" she shouted, her eyes wide in fear as she watched the events unfold directly.

Gasping for air as he floated over the trench, slouched forward and bleeding profusely from several other wounds, Urashiki then cracked a smirk. "Damn… you nearly killed me there. I had to use almost all of my chakra just to shield myself from that blast… but you still got me. And now I'm spent." Reaching behind him and into the red energy arc on his back, the man then brought his still intact left fist forward and opened it up, revealing two little black pills floating above his palm. "But don't worry… I've got a bit more." He then reached up with his palm and gulped one of them down.

The instant he did, a gust of wind tore off of him and- in a shocking display of growth- he started to heal. In a matter of seconds, the huge chunks taken out of his torso and chest recovered and grew over with new muscles and skin. As it did, an entire right arm suddenly sprouted from the stump at his shoulder, completely with new fingers and a new Rinnegan in the palm. What's more, the skin over the right side of his face regenerated, as did the two eyes that went missing. As soon as they blinked to life, his most grievous injuries had healed over, leaving him with only a handful of fresh scars, burns, and bruises.

The sight not only had Miroku grit her teeth, but Moryu also stand more defensively in front of the two children- who were pretty shocked to see the oni recover so easily.

Sighing in relief, Urashiki then grinned down at the priestess. "I'll save the last one for the road. But first and foremost…" He then raised his left hand towards the priestess below and, extending his index finger, started producing a brightly glowing, orange sphere of twisting energy. Gathering the chakra he had left into it, the five-eyed celestial sneered. "It's time I did away with you once and for all."

Seeing her mother in trouble had Shion rush forward, "KAA-SAAAAN!" But she was promptly stopped when she ran into her father's arm.

Moryu, looking back at the young girl warningly, then stood up and quickly formed a hand seal. "Don't worry. I'll stop him."

Watching quietly from his place in the back, Naruto, his eyes darting between the terrified Shion, to her father, and then to the exhausted Miroku staring down the final attack of her enemy, quickly felt a sense of dread overcome him. Panic swept through his body like a rush of cold, causing the boy to clench his fists against the ground as he knelt there, watching as their enemy- the monstrous alien that kidnapped him and Shion, tortured him, threatened his fox friend, and threatened to destroy his home planet- was now readying to kill the woman who'd come here to save him. And worse yet, here he was, sitting, witnessing all of this happening, and he couldn't do anything.

He was completely useless- a fact made all too clear after witnessing all the destruction that'd been wrought to the world around them. Even so…

"I… I have to help," Naruto whispered, clenching his eyes shut as tears of fear and desperation came to his eyes. _"Somehow… I have to help her… b-but… I can't…"_

The whole situation seemed bleak. But then, just as he was about to give it all up, he heard a voice.

" _ **Gaki…"**_

OOO

(Mindscape)

When Naruto opened his eyes in that moment, the boy found himself kneeling in the same dark, sewer system of his mind or, to be more precise, the chamber within his body where the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed. Looking around at the dank lights surrounding him, he then turned around and looked up, where he saw the massive iron bars of the kitsune's cell sitting behind him, and the immense, orange form of the Kyuubi himself staring right back at him.

Quickly scrambling to his feet and standing up, Naruto then stepped closer to the giant gate and faced its tenant with a frantic look in his eyes. "F-Furball? Why did you bring me down here?"

Not even acknowledging the child's worried look, due to the fact that he was well aware of everything that was going on up top, the giant fox narrowed his eyes, _**"Things aren't looking too great out there… are they?"**_

Balking slightly at the Kyuubi's words, but then realizing that he could probably see everything that was happening, the spiky haired blonde retracted a little and clenched his fists anxiously. "Shion's mum… she… she's going to get killed by that big creep." He then got a bit more fire in his eyes and glared up at the fox. "We have to save her."

Tails swishing behind him, the Kyuubi then lowered his head towards the child. _**"Before we do anything… there are two people here I think you should meet."**_

A confused look then came over Naruto's face. When he saw the fox gesture over his shoulder and down the tunnel, the blonde youngster then turned around to see what it was he was pointing to. He ten received one heck of a surprise when there, standing in the light of the cave just a few feet away, he saw two adults standing side by side and looking back at him.

The initial surprise at seeing two completely new people inside his dream scape had Naruto stop completely for a moment, as he believed he and the kitsune were the only ones who lived here or had access to this place. Aside from that one incident with that alien weirdo, no other spirit or soul had ever set foot in here. However, since there were now two people standing right in front of him, clear as day, this no longer appeared to be the case.

The individuals in question were a man and a woman, both of whom Naruto did not recognize, yet at the same time seemed so familiar to him. The man was slightly taller than the woman and was of thin, athlete build, with blonde spiky hair that had two long bangs framing either side of his face, and sharp, piercing blue eyes matching a slender nose and a warm smile. He was also wearing the standard Jonin uniform of a _Konohagakure_ shinobi, the forehead protector, and what looked like a white Hokage robe with red flames along the bottom. The woman next to him was also wearing the _Konoha_ shinobi uniform and headband, indicating she was aligned to the same village as the former. She had long red hair tied back into a ponytail, with a fringe hung over a gentle, kindly face, and calm purplish-blue eyes.

Naruto almost jumped back in alarm at seeing the pair standing in the tunnel with him. But after looking between them quickly and seeing that they weren't attacking, the boy's curiosity was quickly peaked. "H-Hello?"

The woman with the red hair chuckled at the youngster and bowed her head to the child, "Hello to you too, Naruto-kun."

"Umm… I…" the whiskered-youngster stammered as he thought up the best question he could ask toward this unusual situation. "I don't mean to be rude but… w-who are you guys?"

"You don't recognize us?" the kunoichi asked, sounding slightly surprised, but not enough to remove the warm smile from her face.

"Would you like to take a guess as to who we are?" the man standing beside her asked, at the same time slipping his hands into his pockets.

Squinting his eyes between them, Naruto took a closer look at the pair's appearances. After several seconds of looking them over, the youngster suddenly had a recollection of the male standing beside the woman, which had his eyes widen and arm shakily lift up to point at him. "W-Wait. Aren't you the… Fourth Hokage?" His startled question had the man chuckle.

"You're right on that count," the blonde-haired shinobi answered, at the same time scratching his cheek with his finger nervously. "My face is plastered on photographs and portraits all across your school. Not to mention its carved into the monument overlooking the village. Though it is somewhat flattering, I personally think it makes me look a little bit cold and aloof."

Shaking his head in disbelief, the stumped Naruto slowly approached the pair. "You've been my hero growing up. I read all about the amazing stuff you did in the battlefield and for the village in all of my books… especially the time when you-" Before the child could fall into a fanboyish rant, he cut himself short to stare across at the adults. "Hold on. Why is the Fourth Hokage living inside my stomach with the Nine-Tailed Fox and some strange lady?"

Behind him, the Kyuubi visibly cringed at the child's rather flippant reference to the significant other in the room. _**"Oooh… don't say that…"**_ he whispered.

When the aforementioned Hokage glanced nervously across at his partner, he saw that the woman's hair had suddenly started to float and form into large, flickering masses, while a dark shadow suddenly cast across her face. However, despite the blackness covering her eyes and nose, a very forced grin could be seen twitching at her lips.

"Y-You think… I'm just some strange lady?" the kunoichi hissed, at the same time a rather menacing red aura started to waft off of her shoulders, causing the area around her to start to vibrate with an ominous presence. "Nobody else special comes to mind? _Nobody_ at all?"

"Hmm… well. You do look sort of familiar. Kind of like the woman in those old pictures I saw hanging up in Haruka-baachan's house," Naruto murmured to himself while studying the older woman, completely unaware of the growing anger being experienced by said person. When he tilted his head at her, the child blinked curiously as he watched her crimson locks wave about. "I really like your hair though. It's so long and pretty- like silk. But how are you able to get it to move around like tha-EEK!" He was cut off from his compliment when, in the blink of an eye, the woman seemingly teleported from her spot and reappeared directly in front of him. In that moment he found himself looking up at the kunoichi, who was now glaring down at him with the circular eyes of a murderous phantom, while the rest of her face had become shrouded in blackness.

"Just for that," the woman hissed in a demonic voice, causing Naruto's entire body to shiver with fright.

When he saw her raise her arm, the boy quickly covered his ears and shut his eyes to protect him from what he suspected was a very hard hit. However, a second later, the jinchuriki felt a gentle pat on the top of his head. Feeling warm fingers move through his hair soothingly, Naruto looked up slowly, where he then found himself meeting the smiling face of the redhead in question.

"Thank you, dattebane," the woman chirped, her cheeks practically glowing due to her grin.

"Uhh… n-no problem," Naruto murmured, only to suddenly blink when he heard her little nonsensical word at the end. "Huh? _Dattebane_?"

"Oops. I guess I got a little bit flustered again," the woman chuckled, moving her hand away from the boy's head and poking herself in the temple briefly. "My bad. I was hoping you wouldn't pick up any of my verbal tics or quirks. Even so, I'm still glad to see you're growing up so well, Naruto-kun."

"P-Pick up… growing up…" Naruto repeated these words a couple of times, while wondering why they stuck out the most. It was only after processing them and the actions that'd taken place in the last few seconds, the boy's eyes flickered with a sense of awareness. "Wait. Y-You are… are you my-?"

"Figured it out already?" the redhead asked, before then straightening up and placing her hands on her hips. At this point the Fourth Hokage decided to approach, slowly making his way over as he observed the stunned Naruto gape up at this partner in awe. "Your father and I had this big plan set in motion. Though the circumstances aren't exactly what we were hoping they would be, I'm very happy to…" She stopped when all of sudden, the child in front of her threw himself into her waist and snapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Almost losing her footing due to the fact that her legs became bound as well, the woman looked down in shock when she saw the boy pressing his face into her torso.

Eyes clenched shut and lips pressing together to stop from wailing out, Naruto breathed sharply as tears suddenly burst free out of the corners of his eyes. "I… I've…*sob*… I've wanted to, like, meet you… *sob*… for so long… mum," Naruto whimpered, burying his face into her vest as his breathing hitched in his throat in an attempt to stifle his cries.

However, despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but allow his emotions to flow free, as his sobs slowly transformed into open weeping and bawling.

Feeling her child sob into her vest, Kushina allowed a warm smile to overtake her, before she wrapped her arms back around him and held her to her. When Minato came to stand beside her, he also reached out and placed a hand on his son's head, which he patted in a soothing manner.

"It's okay, son. It's okay," Kushina whispered while closing her eyes and continuing to hold her boy close. "I'm here now."

They allowed a couple of minutes for their son to get his emotions of his chest and in turn comforted him. Once he was done crying, the child released his mother at his own volition, and stepped away from her while drying his eyes and cheeks on his sleeve. This left him with a bit of red in his eyes and some noticeably smudging where he'd brushed himself against his jacket.

"You already know your father as the Fourth Hokage," Kushina said, at the same time nodding towards the spiky haired man next to her. "After all, his face- as plain and ordinary as it seems- has been staring down at you from the right-hand side of the _Hokage Monument_ for the past six to seven years."

Naruto blinked across at the blonde man standing beside them and gaped at him, "Th-The Fourth Hokage is my dad?"

"More or less," Minato laughed jokingly, while at the same time plucking at his hair. "Your relation to me is quite obvious. I guess you were just so caught up in learning about my past exploits as a shinobi that you didn't notice the fact that our hair and eye colors were exactly the same."

"And because of that, you never got the chance to find out anything about me," Kushina chimed in, drawing her son's attention back to her. Placing a hand over her chest, which she puffed out, the kunoichi then spoke with a bit more reverence. "Just to make sure you heard it for yourself, _yes_ , I am your mother- Kushina Uzumaki- also once known as the _Red Hot-Blooded Habanero_ and the _Akaimajo_ (Red Demoness) of _Konohagakure_."

"Wow," Naruto whispered, staring at the woman for a moment as he then thought about the significance of what she'd just told him. "So, I ended up getting mum's name and dad's looks. That's pretty neat," Naruto wondered out loud, at the same time considering the two adults momentarily. Returning to the point about his inheritance, the child then peeked up at his hair and tugged on it with his thumb and finger. "But man… if I'd gotten mum's hair and eyes, I think I would look pretty damn cool too. Maybe I should dye it sometime… or use the _Henge_ to change it every once in a while for style. Yeah. That could definitely work."

Seeing their boy take such a fascination in his biology had Kushina look across at her husband and stick her tongue out at him teasingly. This in the end had Minato laugh to himself, before the Hokage decided to move the subject along. "We'll have enough time to catch up later. But for now, don't you have something else to worry about, Naruto-kun?"

"OH! THAT'S RIGHT!" Naruto came back with a start- the alarm bells in his head going off once again as he quickly rushed over to his dad and grabbed him by the edge of his robe. "My friends outside… and Shion's mum! They're in trouble! We're _all_ in trouble! I have to help them!"

" _ **Heh. Good luck with that. At your current level, you wouldn't be able to do a damn thing,"**_ the booming voice of the Kyuubi suddenly spoke up, drawing the youngster's attention around to his gate. With the fox sitting there and looking back down at them the way he was, it was clear that the biju had a vested interest in this case. _ **"That man is way too strong and powerful for you to handle. You saw what he did to the landscape during that battle- he would crush you like an ant in less than a second."**_

A sickening feeling quickly hit Naruto when he heard this, who clenched his teeth and fists tightly in frustration. "Then… w-what can I do?"

"It's not what _you_ can do… but what _**we**_ can do… _together_ ," Minato spoke, drawing his son's attention back over to him. At the same time the man removed his hand from his pocket and gestured to his son's hand. "You already know the basics of ninjutsu, right?" When Naruto nodded, the Fourth smiled. "Good. I'll show you the hand signs and guide you from here. If this is going to work, we're going to need to be in perfect sync with one another."

Naruto shook his head in confusion and frowned, "When _what's_ going to work?"

"We're going to fight with you, Naruto-kun," Kushina chimed in, stepping towards her son as well with her hands on her hips and a big smile on her face. "Well… to be more precise, we're going to be fighting _through_ you against that big, red jerk out there… and you're going to help us do it."

"Since you have our chakra and our spirits sealed inside of you, we'll be able to switch out with _your_ spirit and use the _Henge_ technique to take control of your body. We'll be able to fight and perform jutsu through you while transformed… but only for a short period of time," Minato informed, seeing his boy turn to look right at him. Knowing he had his full attention, the man nodded. "As tough as you are on your own, you're nowhere near strong enough to take on an enemy like that Otsutsuki. But your mother and I… _we are_." He then gave his son a grin characteristic of their family, one that Naruto recognized making on few occasions himself. It actually made the blonde feel more at ease.

"Well?" Kushina spoke next, while also tilting her head towards her boy. "Do you want to help your friends, Naruto-kun?"

After looking between his two smiling parents for a few seconds, a sense of reassurance quickly came rushing through him, along with a renewed surge of vigor and determination. Of course, this then led him to another important note, which had him turn his attention towards the large gate standing in front of the Nine-Tails. Seeing the giant fox's red eyes staring back at him and piercing through the darkness, the young Naruto put on a strong façade and approached the bars.

When he stopped before them, he then spoke. "I want to help _all_ of my friends. Shion-chan, Miroku-neesan… and furball here too. After all the times I've come down here to visit him at night, I could see how sad and angry he was, and that he was hurting a lot on the inside- just like me. He being trapped in here with nowhere to go and no one to talk to, isn't right at all." Seeing the kitsune balk brought a warm look the boy's firm expression. "Though I know I can't do anything to help him now, I know I'll be able to find a way." Upon seeing the fox blink at his words, Naruto turned to smile back at his parents, whom he could see were watching him with great interest. "I want to help everyone."

Visibly moved by their son's words, Minato and Kushina couldn't help but beam with pride at what he was able to say from the heart. Even the Kyuubi behind him was effected, who gawked down at the child for a few solid seconds before eventually letting a chuckle escape his throat. He then reared his head and leered down at the child when he glanced back at him. _**"You won't ever stop trying… will you, brat?"**_

Naruto shook his head and held his fist up at the fox. "Not on your life. No matter how long it takes or how much pain I have to go through, I know I'll get you to warm up to me one day, fox."

Grunting in amusement at the child's plucky attitude, the Kyuubi then looked up towards Minato and Kushina. He then narrowed his eyes on them, _**"Hey. Let me fight too."**_ This statement had the pair appear a bit taken aback, which quickly had the fox elaborate further. _**"Fourth! How long do you think your chakra will last inside of Naruto?"**_

Minato frowned and, after looking at his wife for a moment, turned back to the fox. "I was only meant to fix the seal if it ever became corrupted… so I'd say about five minutes, at best. Kushina has three times as much."

" _ **Unlock the seal and let me get a shot on this guy too. If I combine my chakra with Naruto's and amplify yours, I'll be able stretch your time limits and turn every second you have out there into twenty,"**_ the Kyuubi said, narrowing his eyes and giving the trio a look that said he was both serious and sincere with his statement. _**"Don't worry. I have no intention of betraying you. These monsters have come for me and my kin, and they plan on destroying everything the old man built back on Earth. I intend to take my pound of flesh and then some. When all this is over and we're back home safe and sound, you'll have all the time you need to talk to your son. That I can promise you."**_

Looking at one another, Minato and Kushina thought on the kitsune's words for a moment. After which the pair then nodded and looked back at the Nine-Tails assuredly.

"We'll hold you to it," Kushina said, earning a chuckle from the giant fox.

At this, the Kyuubi then looked down at the child that was his current keeper, and nodded to him. _**"It looks like… I'm in the mood for some fun after all."**_

Naruto laughed brightly and held his fist out, at the same time his father came up to him and drew his hand from his pocket. "I knew you would be, dattebayo!" Turning toward his old man and looking up at him, he saw the Hokage hold his hand out to him, extending his fingers, and then twist them through the air above his son's torso.

When the blonde looked under his jacket to see what was happening, he saw the strange series of markings making up the _**Eight Trigrams Seal**_ he'd studied days earlier suddenly twist and distort, with the center of the spiral formation turning completely black. Upon watching this unusual metamorphosis in the seal, the child then dropping his windbreaker and looked behind him when a loud series of metal bangs and clangs rang out. He managed to turn his gaze up just in time to see the paper seal on the gate fall away from the middle of the iron gates, and the elaborate, spiral lock that was hidden underneath open.

As the metal clicked and creaked, the young Naruto allowed his thousand megawatt smile to come through, as he then spun around and faced the tunnel. His father and mother came to stand beside him, with the redheaded kunoichi cracked her knuckles eagerly before forming a hand seal.

"It's been so long since I've done this, my skills might be a little bit rusty," she said, drawing her child's eyes up to her momentarily. "Watch closely, son. You're about to see a _**real**_ Uzumaki in action!"

"Not to mention your old man," Minato said, closing his eyes for a moment before then opening them. The moment he did, red sclera had appeared around his eyes, which had also turned yellow, with the pupils becoming square and more defined. His expression then tightened as he focused his attention on the enemy ahead of them. "By my estimate, the enemy has lost over fifty percent of its initial strength. However, despite being weakened, it is still incredibly dangerous."

"It absorbs chakra through the eyes in its hands. If we take those out, we can kill it," Kushina informed, concluding her husband's assessment.

When she did, the lock on the gate had become fully unlatched, announcing it through a loud clonk.

Hearing this, Minato then looked down at his son. "Are you ready?"

Grinning back at the Fourth widely, Naruto then spun around and slammed a hand into his fist, "Let's do this!" he shouted, at the same time the enormous gate behind him burst open and the grinning Kyuubi stepped forward.

OOO

(Outside)

Shion was at the edge, clutching the ground as tears appeared in her eyes when she saw her mother facing down the blast that was now gathering in Urashiki's hand. But just when she thought she was about to witness her beloved parent get incinerated, she suddenly perked up when she heard the ruffle of a coat being caught on a fierce wind and blinked when she saw the tail end of said robe pass her line of sight. Following it up the spine of its owner, where she saw the kanji "Fourth Hokage" written vertically down the back, the little priestess found herself looking at a new adult she hadn't seen before.

Blinking at the man in the cloak, wearing the shinobi uniform, and proudly sporting a head of spiky yellow hair, Shion gasped. "W-Who are you?" These were the only questions she was able to get out before the man suddenly crouched forward and vanished in a blur.

At the same time, the airborne and grinning Urashiki, taking aim down the fingers of his hand at the woman who'd caused him so much trouble, had finally gathered enough chakra to put an end to her. As the ball the pulsating energy reached critical mass, with its center glaring as hot as the sun the planet was currently approaching, the oni Otsutsuki leered. "Say good by-GUAAH!" His sentence was cut short when, out of nowhere, he got hit.

The suddenly blow he received stunned not only him, but all those who were gathered around the area and watching. Just as he was a split second away from finishing off his exhausted opponent, a blue portal had suddenly opened up directly to the right of Urashiki and expelled from it a man with yellow hair and holding a spinning ball of blue chakra. The instant he appeared- cloaked in his white, flame embroidered robe- the newcomer slammed the ball of chakra into the Otsutsuki's face and sent him flying out of the air to crash into the hill on the other side of the chasm.

Slamming into the ground shoulder-first and plowing through the rock, the stunned oni groaned in pain as he attempted to figure out what the hell had hit him. His chakra ball having effectively dispelled the moment he was hit, Urashiki's body shook with both rage and fatigue as he pushed himself back to his feet. Upon getting back into a stance, he revealed his cheek had been burnt away by the ball of chakra detonating against him, showing off not only the cheek bone underneath, but also the teeth of the inside of his mouth.

Spitting up blood, Urashiki's head whipped about and the four _Byakugan_ he had activated. "Who the hell did that?!"

Miroku, Moryu and Shion then watched as the golden haired newcomer dropped to the ground near the chasm into a crouched position. When he stood up to full height, he revealed a Sage Mode mastered Minato standing there and glaring daggers at the stricken Otsutsuki. When the celestial invader blinked in confusion at the sight of the human, Minato then leaned forward before sprinting across the landscape towards him at a fierce pace.

Clenching his sore and probably broken jaw, the Otsutsuki snarled as he stood up to confront the newcomer charging him down. "Oh, you want some of this?! Well, COME AND GET IT!" he roared, swinging his hands through the air and instantly launching a barrage of black receiver rods at the human in an attempt to impale him.

In a blur of movement Minato zigzagged around the incoming weapons, feeling them glance past him on all sides as they overshot him and bombarded the landscape. Those that came in close struck the ground nearby and caused it to explode, sending clouds of dust and chunks of earth hurtling into the air. When he got within a few yards of his target, a receiver rod hit the ground directly in front of him, sending a wall of debris into the air.

Urashiki grinned, thinking he'd hit him. But just when it seemed like he did, he suddenly saw the attacking figure spring into the sky above the cloud of ash- only this time they were different.

Sporting a head of brilliant red hair and adorned in her _Konohagakure_ uniform, Kushina Uzumaki soared into view, performing a graceful spin through the air before throwing both her arms out. When she did, two golden chains shot out and flew towards the Otsutsuki at light speed. When the man thought they'd hit and shielded himself out of reflex, they instead shot past him and struck the ground behind him several meters apart.

The moment the blades dug into the floor, Kushina then retracted them, pulling herself out of the air at blinding speed to dodge his oncoming barrage of metal rods and sling-shotting herself straight at Urashiki, who promptly summoned a red chakra yari out of the air to impale her.

"TOO SLOW!" the kunoichi shouted, dodging his incoming thrust and nailing him in the stomach with a double kick. "ORAAAAAAAAA!" Her feet slammed into Urashiki's chest with the force of a train, causing a loud thunderclap to ring out and knocking the wind out of his lungs so fast it caused all five of his eyes to bug out.

Not only did the floor crater from the force of the Jonin's kick, but the celestial on the receiving end of it was sent hurtling across the countryside like a rocket. As he careened through the air, screaming at the top of his lungs, Kushina landed gracefully on the floor before clapping her hands together into a unique hand seal.

From there she flipped through a few more, before finishing on a Dragon seal, which saw a series of black seal arrows form on the tops of her hands, on her forehead, and on her cheeks. Concentrating her chakra, Kushina then shouted. "Get ready! _**Fuin Kai: Ryūjin no Tō**_!" (Seal Release: Tower of the Ryujin)

What happened next startled those who were watching, as a series of over a hundred different summoning seals filled the sky and air directly behind Kushina in a wall-like fashion. The quantity was so great that it almost formed into a tower, but because they stretched outwards more than they did upwards, allowing her to cover more ground horizontally.

As soon as the wall of elaborate seals and summoning circles appeared, every single one of them started conjuring and launching hundreds upon hundreds of three-pronged kunai, all of which had strange markings along the handle. They all flew through the air and filled the sky like a hail of arrows, which effortlessly blocked out the light of the sun as they plummeted towards the airborne and stunned Urashiki.

Spotting the hail of weapons falling towards him, the celestial invader let out a growl and threw his hand out, unleashing a red chain that whipped through the air and knocked away some of the weapons. But because there were so many his chain was effectively knocked back by the metal kunai, as a thousand more went blitzing past his kusarigama and towards him.

Flipping over midflight and slamming his feet into the ground to slide to a stop, the Otsutsuki leader then began doing his best to dodge and avoid the weapons, as all of them began impacting the ground around him and impaling it. When they rain started to get heavy and he started getting clipped by the shower of metal, even impaled in the shoulder and leg, the startled extra-terrestrial gave a roar of anger and threw his arms out.

"ENOOOUUUUGH!" he bellowed, unleashing a blast of wind from his body that formed into a dome-like shield around him. The act of which allowed him to deflect the mass of weapons that were dropping down on him, defending himself against the barrage and knocking many of them away.

When the hail of weapons stopped and Urashiki lowered his arms, he had a crater of about ten feet wide surrounding him, with the rocky valley impaled with thousands of three-pronged kunai. A heavy breath exhaled from his lips as he knelt in place, sweat trickling down him from the effort he was exerting just to defend himself. But just when it seemed like he was in the clear, a shimmer to his right caught his attention, before he was casually slashed across the face by a blade.

" _ **Hiraishingiri!"**_ (Flying Thunder God Slash) came Minato's voice as he darted past Urashiki toward another of his kunai before vanishing instantly afterwards.

Blinking when he saw the golden haired man again disappear, Urashiki then let out a yelp when he was again slashed, this time across the back. Knocked stumbling forward, he was then hit across the shoulder. Then in the chest. Then the shoulder again. Then across the side. Then in the stomach. And then in the chest again. Soon, the Otsutsuki was being repeatedly and continuously struck from every direction possible as his opponent, using the thousands of three-pronged kunai scattered across the field as markers, was continuously teleporting between each one at such speed that he was able to streak past his target before he could even wheel around to counter or even defend against him.

In just under a minute, Urashiki's body was riddled by slashes and cuts, with even more coming in as Minato continued to dart to kunai standing between him and his target. Being sure to aim for vital points, the infamous Yellow Flash of Konoha did his best to inflict as much damage as possible. Up until the point the Otsutsuki decided he'd had enough of being tagged repeatedly.

"DAMN YOU!" the man roared, thrusting his arm out and unleashing a shockwave outwardly in an attempt to cut his foe. The act of which sent a blast of wind rippling across the ground, which dislodged several of his kunai and sent them flying elsewhere. Minato meanwhile managed to pitch one into the air before vanishing again, allowing him to dodge the area of effect technique that widened the crater that Urashiki was being knocked around in like a pin ball.

Frustrated that he missed again, Urashiki activated his _Byakugan_ to track his foe, and quickly spotted them above him. When he looked up, he saw Minato diving towards him, during which time he suddenly threw something larger than a kunai straight at him.

Spotting it, Urashiki ducked quickly to avoid the battle axe then suddenly spun over his head and hit the ground. Grinning when he did avoid it, the Otsutsuki then raised his right arm. "What? Is that it?" He then fired a ball of red chakra up at the incoming shinobi and this time hit him.

However, the moment his chakra ball struck and exploded, Minato also exploded in a puff of white smoke, which caused the celestial to recoil a little.

"Huh?!" Realizing it was a fake clone, the man then tried to search for the missing blonde, only to suddenly feel his body lurch downward. Out of nowhere, Urashiki suddenly felt a massive gravitational force come down on him, causing his legs to buckle and dragging his entire body towards the floor. As the ground cracked and split, the celestial attempted to resist the thousands of tons of weight that his person was now being subjected to, all the while attempting to track down who was responsible for this.

After his eyes scanned the area in front of him for a few seconds, the man then spotted Kushina Uzumaki kneeling a hundred or so yards from him. With both her hands pressed into the floor, the woman could be seen smirking at the celestial, as she was clearly the one using the invisible technique that was flattening him into the planet's surface.

" _ **Fuin Kai: Ten to ji no Zaidan!"**_ (Seal Release: Foundation of Heaven and Earth)

"Y-You… wretched…" Urashiki snarled, his bones starting to creak as he felt the gravitational pull on him increase even more and bring him closer into the ground. When his eyes looked down, he quickly spotted the axe that'd been thrown at him earlier lying just a few feet out of reach. When he saw the seals on the blade glowing gold, the Otsutsuki blinked. _"That weapon… h-he deliberately missed… in order to set the seal to the floor… for this technique! That fucker!"_

The pain from this was excruciating. More than he could've ever imagined. The fact that his skin and muscles had also been cut by his opponent before meant that his injuries were also being aggravated by the strain, causing spurts of blood to fly out of his wounds. Growling in anger, the man tried to use his rage and whatever chakra he could spare to try and get himself out of this situation. However, his efforts were thwarted when, from out of the ground around him, a dozen of the same golden _Adamantine Sealing Chains_ used before came shooting out of the floor to wrap around his body and limbs. These chakra snares wrapped tightly around the celestial and became taut, upon which they started pulling the man even further into the floor.

Limbs trembling and muscles pounding as he attempted to keep himself from being transformed into a humanoid pancake, the Otsutsuki quickly grew tired of this farce and, focusing his central eye on the woman casting these techniques on him, launched a blinding red beam of light directly at her chest.

Kushina blinked when she saw the attack flying at her and was promptly hit by it, only to go up in a puff of white smoke when his attack carved right through a _**Kage Bunshin**_ (Shadow Clone). Though the laser did dispel her gravitational and released Urashiki from being trapped under the force equivalent to that of a black hole, the celestial was still bound by the chains.

The man cursed at his inability to hit any of these pests that were suddenly coming at him from all sides. "Human worms! You'll burn for this!" the man growled as he stood up, yanking at the chains and attempting to pull himself free.

At that moment, flying at him from in front after teleporting to another knife, Minato came charging at the Otsutsuki with a large ball of spinning blue chakra in hand again. The sight initially caused Urashiki to look up in alarm. However, when he sensed the energy spinning in the man's open palm, which he was obviously planning to slam into him again, the celestial grinned and quickly got to work.

"Fool," Urashiki grunted, grabbing up the chains binding him with his left arm and giving a hard pull. Shattering them when he yanked them to pieces and freed his right side, the interstellar warrior then swung his right arm out to catch the shinobi. "Come here!" he shouted, the Rinnegan on his eye open up and readying to absorb the chakra the Fourth Hokage had.

Rasengan spinning as Minato closed the final few feet on his opponent, the blonde male then dove forward and swung in with his attack with his left hand, while at the same time Urashiki lunged in with his right. It almost seemed like an easy absorption for the Otsutsuki as his right hand prepared to shut down the shinobi's attack and absorb the chakra into his body to recover.

But just as Urashiki's eye started to absorb the chakra, something unexpected happened. The ball of swirling energy in Minato's left palm suddenly went up in a puff of smoke. The instant it did, a loud squelch sound occurred when the man drove an ordinary kunai straight through the eyeball on the man's hand and impaled his orifice all the way through. The reveal that the chakra ball was in fact an actual blade cloaked in a _Henge_ caused Urashiki to recoil in horror and pain, and when Minato leapt away for safety, the man looked down at his hand in disbelief.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" the celestial bellowed, preparing to rip it out but suddenly seeing the blonde in front of him lunge forward. The moment Urashiki's eyes focused back on the Fourth, he received quite a start when the man suddenly faded away and became replaced by Kushina, the woman grinning from ear to ear as she dodged the celestial's haymaker and nailed him in the chest with a palm strike.

"Tag! You're it!" the woman shouted, before flipping him off and jumping backwards through a blue portal that opened up behind her. Before the portal closed up, the enraged Urashiki heard her yell one last thing, _**"Modoru Hiku Fuin!"**_ (Pull-Back Seal)

Just before Urashiki realized what'd happened, a black seal mark appeared over his chest where the woman had touched her, which expanded into a chain of interlocking kanji that wrapped around his entire body. The moment it materialized, the celestial heard a loud clattering of metal and, when he looked up, he saw every single one of the thousand three-pronged marked kunai lying across the landscape jitter, before being ripped out of the ground and drawn to him.

Urashiki's eyes widened in horror as he quickly threw his arms over his head. As if being propelled by a telepathic force, every single weapon flew at the celestial all at once like a magnet, and peppered him from all sides. The weapons sliced and stabbed into him like needles, impaling him all over and causing him to scream out in pain. When the rain of metal finished tracking towards the seal placed upon his body and the entire field had been practically 'vacuum cleaned', the now thoroughly riddled Urashiki dropped to his knee and gasped for air.

Bleeding from multiple wounds and looking like a glorified pin-cushion, the Otsutsuki then glared up across the planet to where his foes were. "Damn… apes… you think you've won?!"

As soon as he said that, another portal opened up several hundred yards in front of him and deposited Minato onto the battlefield. When he appeared the Kage with Sage Mode marks then raised his right hand and began gathering chakra into it for one last attack. An enormous ball of blue, spiraling chakra manifested above his palm, growing in size and intensity with every second that passed. Once it'd gained adequate form, Minato suddenly vanished in the form of a shimmer and was quickly replaced by Naruto, who was now holding onto the large _Rasengan_ his dad had created.

However, it wasn't just the jinchuriki who was piloting the body at this time.

Shion, who was watching the entire exchange from a distance, simply gaped at the display in shock. "Oh my gosh… Naruto-kun… h-he's amazing."

The same expressions of amazement were reflected on Moryu and Miroku's faces too, the latter of whom was now being accompanied by her partner and child, and had her full, undivided attention set on the blonde haired wonder.

"The rotation of his chakra pathways is outstanding! But how is he able to… wait," Miroku spoke, before narrowing her glowing pink eyes upon the youngster, at the same time carefully analyzing his body and the space around him. "He's not alone. He has two… no… _three_ other chakras inside of him, fueling him and giving him strength. It's almost like… a group of four people working together inside of one body." This fact became even clearer to her when she saw three silhouettes of three other individuals materialize around young Naruto- a man, a woman, and an enormous nine-tailed beast.

These silhouettes, appearing as nothing more than mere mirages, had also become visible to the stunned Urashiki, who couldn't help but gape when he found himself staring down a group of four individuals.

As Naruto stood there, with flecks of golden energy starting to waft off of him, Shion, clenching her hands tightly, took a deep breath before crying out at the top of her lungs. "GO GET HIM, NARUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

When the child heard his friend's voice, the child gave a grin, at the same time one of his blue eyes turned blood red and the pupil formed into a slit- indicating the Kyuubi had taken the wheel. _**"Let's go!"**_ Drawing back his Rasengan as bolts of golden energy shot off of his body like streams of lightning, the spiky haired youngster allowed the fox's chakra to surge through him, swelling his muscles and enhancing his strength. "HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" His scream tore across the land a split second before his body did, which exploded from the ground with a sonic boom as he launched himself towards Urashiki at full speed.

The Otsutsuki meanwhile, overcome by shock and rage, agonizingly rose to his feet and swung his still functional left arm around. "What kind of irony is this?! The chakra that is supposed to be rightfully ours… is coming at me with the intent to kill _**me**_?! KNOW YOUR PLACE, YOU TRASH! AGAINST YOU… THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO LOOOOOOOOOOSE!" Urashiki cried out, his fury compelling him to bring up his left arm and swing down at the approaching Naruto.

" _ **Block it, brat!"**_ Seeing the attack coming right at him, the Kyuubi driven Naruto loaded back his free arm and curled the fingers of his hand. Tracking the punch in literal slow motion when he came within range of it, the fast-moving blonde then thrust his hand forward in a twisting motion and slammed his palm into the fist- catching it mid-flight.

" _ **Uzuken: Tetsu Senpu!"**_ (Vortex Fist: Iron Whirlwind) Naruto-Kyuubi cried out, the twisting movement of his thrust causing each of his fingers to launch a cutting stream of wind from their tips towards their target in a spiraling motion. The result of the wind blades enveloping the celestial caused large gashes and cuts to appear all the way up Urashiki's arm and body, as if he was just hit by a vortex. He was sliced along the forearm, bicep, shoulder, collar, neck, face, and the part of his leg he had extended.

A spray of blood shot out of the multitude of wounds that were instantly carved into the celestial's body, stopping his movements short. When his jaw was nearly sliced off at the cheek, the horrified Otsutsuki looked down at the new, gaping scars in disbelief. "GAAAAAAAAH!" He then recoiled immediately, pulling back his kunai-riddled arm.

This turned out to be his big mistake, as it left him wide open for Naruto to cock back the _Rasengan_ in his hand, and ram it right into Urashiki's open chest. With a deafening boom, the blonde struck the alien with terrific force and ground the enormous chakra sphere into his torso, causing Urashiki to cry out in agony as he was picked up off the floor and pushed back by the energy generated by the attack.

As the technique drilled into the celestial, Naruto- supported by his father, mother, and the Kyuubi- fed more of their chakra into the _Rasengan_ , causing it to grow in size until his opponent's entire front part of his body was pressed up against it. Soon the sphere had grown to the size of a large hill, its form twisting, pulsing and throbbing as it ground into its target. Due to the amount of power being put behind the attack, the sleeve on Naruto's right arm disintegrated and his arm started to burn from the discharge of chakra coming off of his attack. But this didn't stop him.

The four souls worked in tandem with one another to force the attack through, all of them letting out a collective cry before the young jinchuriki, with a final twist of his hand, launched the massive blue sphere towards the mountains.

A final shockwave rang out with a blast so immense that it kicked Naruto back, at the same time the screaming Urashiki was sent careening across the landscape and towards the horizon. When he collided with the mountain range in the distance, the explosion of wind that took place razed everything in sight, as a dome-shaped blast engulfed the base of the mountain and reached all the way up to the clouds. The shockwave itself sent rubble blasting across the countryside behind the exploding edifice for miles.

After sending his foe packing and watching the cataclysm rip apart the range, Naruto- lying flat on his back and breathing heavily- threw a grin towards the distant cloud of hurtling dust and exhaled in relief. "How'd you like that, dattebayo?" Knowing he wouldn't be getting an answer, the child slowly and painfully sat up. Extending his hand out and cocking it, he then waited a few seconds before- with a satisfying thump- his axe returned to his grip. Once it did, the child winced when he felt a shot of pain go through his limb, and looked down to see his right arm was burnt and bruised severely all the way up to his bicep from using that large _Rasengan_. The feeling had him shake his head in awe. _"Man… who knew using techniques like that… could be so hard?"_

" _You're still young. You'll get used to it,"_ his mother's voice spoke in his head, putting a smile back on his face.

Slowly getting back into a proper seated position, Naruto then heard the sound of fast-approaching footfalls, and looked behind him to see Shion rushing over to him. He didn't even have a chance to get a word in before the girl leapt at him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. She practically ran into him when she did, nearly knocking the startled child over.

"A-Are you okay? Naruto-kun?" Shion asked, quickly pulling away from him and looking him over. "You didn't get stabbed or hit anywhere?"

The whiskered-youngster grinned, "I'm alright… I think. Though I am a little bit dizzy after all of that jumping around." That last admission was at least partly true. Switching places continuously with his dad, mum and the Kyuubi took a hell of a lot of concentration. Even though he sat in the background most of the time, this was still his body, and up until a few seconds ago, had been used as an expressway for two very powerful shinobi. As he set is axe to his belt again, the child nodded, "What about you?"

"I'm fine," Shion replied, before then scowling at him and bonking him in the shoulder, "You idiot! What were you thinking?! You had me so worried- watching you running around out there and fighting that big creep all by yourself! Weren't you afraid at all?"

"Honestly, not really," Naruto replied, feeling a little bit guilty at scaring his friend. "Besides, I wasn't the one who was in control of my body for most of that fight. Even when I did that last attack, I was still being controlled by another. It was-"

"Your mother and father, right?" the voice of Miroku chimed in, drawing both the attentions of Naruto and Shion back to see the woman in the shrine maiden robes limping over to them with Moryu directly beside her. The two adults stood beside the children while looking down at the youngster who'd just gone to town on their fierce enemy. "Some of their chakra and spirit had been sealed inside of you, and lying dormant. When you saw me in danger, you called for help, and they came to the rescue… along with your biju friend." Seeing the slightly surprised look come over the boy's face had the High Priestess smile. "Yes. I know about the Nine-Tails."

"Heh. You are one interesting kid," Moryu remarked, placing a hand on his hip while the other hung weakly at his side. "In all my years of living, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. A boy of your age taking down a celestial? This has to be some kind of sign." He said this while glancing across at his partner, whom looked back at him and nodded.

"No doubt," Miroku concluded. "You and Shion are two very special children. Both of you have a great deal of strength hidden inside of you… and the potential to become something truly special in the future." She then closed her eyes and beamed in her trademark, motherly way down at Naruto. "I'm glad that the two of you were able to meet."

While Naruto laughed and rubbed his head in a bashful manner, Shion continued to hang off of his arm and smile openly at him. Clearly he wasn't used to being complimented so openly, yet it was a welcome gesture all the same. The young priestess giggled along with him and returned his happy expression with one of her own.

It was a spark that did not go amiss by either Miroku or Moryu, both of whom also shared a look that said more than words ever could.

Unfortunately, the group's happiness in victory would not last forever. As they were standing and sitting there, surrounded by the ruined horizon of their battlefield, a violent tremor suddenly reverberated across their plate of land, which caused the group to look into the distance. It soon dawned on them that they were now coming dangerously close to the sun, which was now starting to suck the planet into its gravitational pull.

The act of which caused the planet to splinter and crack in several places, with the loosened chunks of it started to break away and fall towards the solar body at a faster rate. In simple terms, the world was literally starting to crumble, which meant only one thing for the group.

"I think it's time we left," Moryu chimed in, at the same time watching one of the distant tectonic plates of the planet start to rise off of the planet's surface and into the sky. Though it looked like the mountains were growing, in actuality it was the continent they were on no longer being able to hold itself together.

Miroku would've definitely agreed with her partner. However, before she could even begin to compose a response, the priestess suddenly had her attention drawn towards the distant crater formed from the _Rasengan_ Naruto had launched Urashiki with. When she fixed her sights on the distant region, she saw the ground suddenly explode and send a geyser of earth flying into the sky. Dispersing seconds later, the priestess and the rest of the people gathered around her saw a figure emerge from the dust clouds.

By some unholy miracle, standing at the top of the crater's edge and glaring across the landscape towards them like some undead fiend, Urashiki was still alive and breathing. Of course, following his scrap with Naruto, his body had sustained a massive series of wounds, as well as a very painful hit to his ego. Aside from the horrible open wounds riddling his entire body, the front part of his chest had also been ripped open in a spiral formation, revealing his bloody ribcage and shredded muscles underneath. That's not even counting the few kunai still lodged in his mangled skin. Counting up the total number of injuries inflicted upon him, it was impossible that he could even still be alive.

"You're…" Urashiki panted raggedly as blood dribbled out of his mouth, "not… going anywhere!"

"Oh, come on! Seriously?" Moryu groaned when he got a good look at their opponent. "How is he still alive?"

Miroku, sighing heavily, then looked back at her daughter and friend. "It looks like we're not finished yet." When she saw the two children look at her and her eyes met Shion's, the High Priestess felt a brief but strong sense of crushing heartache grip her chest. The breath of her soul felt as though it was being pushed into her throat, a sense that was seemingly amplified when she glanced down at her hand and saw the burning golden chakra pulsing through her veins- indicating her body was literally burning on the inside. Assessing the damage in herself and concluding that she didn't have long, the woman took a deep breath to compose herself before turning to face the Otsutsuki. "Don't worry. I've got this."

"Heh. Like I'm going to let you face that scumbag all by yourself in your condition," the white-haired male replied, stepping forward and flexing his arm out. Stretching his shoulder and his neck, the demi-demon warrior then glanced across at his partner to see her staring at him in surprise. "What? I've still got a score to settle with that jerk as well. There's no way I'm letting you have all the fun."

Looking him over, the woman then had a look at his right arm, where she saw black veins pulsing up and down his skin. Also taking note of the necrosis in his fingertips, as well as the patches running up his neck and down his torso, Miroku frowned. "But… what about-?"

"Look, if we don't finish this guy off right here and now, he will go on to ravage not just the Earth, but the entire universe," Moryu replied in a low voice. Obviously feeling greatly affected by this, the brave fighter then inhaled deeply before looking across at her with a warm smile. "This will be the last time we will ever get to be together… and the last chance we'll have to make things right. I'm not going to leave you all alone like before… not this time."

Miroku's heart almost skipped a beat at Moryu's honest words- her eyes lighting up and visibly shimmering with emotion as a result. As she looked back into the red-eyed warrior's smiling face, a warmth spread through her cheeks and chest, before the priestess looked away with a blush. "You're an idiot…"

"I know," Moryu replied in an immature sounding voice, obviously as a tease. After seeing a smile tug at the bashful female's lips, the man then looked down at the two children and beamed at them. "We'll see you two in a bit."

When Shion nodded, the pair then looked across at Miroku, where they saw the woman smiling down at them too. However, unlike before, her warmth had a mixture of sadness in it as well, which had the two children pause for a moment and wonder why she was looking like that. "Naruto-kun… please… protect Shion for me."

Though he had no idea what exactly was going to happen, except that the two of them were going off to fight, the youngster with the whiskers nodded and assumed a kneeling position. Whereupon he then moved closer to his friend. "Don't worry. I will."

Filled with a sense of reassurance, Miroku and Moryu then turned and, side-by-side, began making their way across the landscape. As they did, more tremors from the planet being ripped apart by the sun's gravitational field reverberated across the entire globe, causing mountains to shift, caverns to form, and chunks of the world to start rising up into the sky and into space. It was like the beginning of the apocalypse- in which the dying world of the giants was now closing in upon its final minutes.

Urashiki, searing with anger at the child that'd beaten him, and frustration at being unable to kill the two celestial he'd fought, brought up his wounded right hand and the chakra pill he was clutching inside of it. "If you think you can kill Urashiki Otsutsuki… you're dead wrong." With a deep breath, the man put his hand to his mouth and swallowed the chakra pill whole. The moment he gulped it down, a surge of chakra coursed through him, causing his muscles to bulk up sharply and his size to increase. In doing so, the multitude of wounds that'd previously been covering him also healed over, allowing him to rise up to full height without being encumbered by pain.

The instant the most grievous of wounds healed over, the horned, red-skinned Otsutsuki gave a might roar, which in turn caused a hurricane like wind to blast off of his body and ripple over the landscape. Boulders were dislodged and plateaus were felled by the sheer force of his energy spike, which in turn also caused the approaching Miroku and Moryu to shield their faces from the wind.

Rolling his shoulder, the red-eyed demi-demon that'd fought the Otsutsuki the longest clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Man, this guy is _loud_."

"No kidding," Miroku replied, at the same time undoing her belt and taking off her kimono jacket. After casting her top to the wind and letting it blow away, she then undid her hakama pants and allowed them to slide off her legs. When she kicked them and her sandals off, she then stretched her arms out at being free from them. "But what more can you expect from a genocidal alien parasite that has assimilated two of his kind in one day?"

Moryu didn't answer the question right away, as he'd become distracted by the fact that his partner had pretty much stripped down to her underwear. In place of a bra and panties though, the woman had bandages taped around her ample chest and a white fundoshi loin cloth with a T-back. This meant that a great deal of her skin was now completely exposed to the elements, leaving very little to the imagination. So it was easy to see why the white-haired demi-demon became a bit distracted checking out the woman's sumptuous curves, tight belly, long legs, and ass framed in her underwear.

"Something wrong?" Miroku asked when she noticed the man ogling her as they walked along.

"Buuh…" the male looked up at her with a start, before quickly looking away with a bit of red in his face. "N-No… nothing… just uhh… admiring the view."

Not being that coy, Miroku couldn't help but smirk at the man's reaction, before looking back ahead of her and resuming her stretching as they walked. "Heh. Sure. Just keep your eyes on the enemy while we're fighting… _pervert_." Throwing the same word back at him that he'd used on her, the two ex-lovers couldn't help but smile, as it was clear that this very human banter was the most genuine fun they'd had with one another in a long time.

At that note, after walking out across the field and stopping when they saw Urashiki was now starting to approach, the pair then went about collecting their chakra for the final spurt. All the while, Moryu couldn't help but think back on all the memories he'd shared with Miroku over the years. After allowing brief flashes to pass through him, the man then looked across at her and spoke in a more nervous voice than normal.

"Listen… Miroku… what happened to us… in the months after Shion was born. I'm… I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry," the man said. When Miroku looked across at him, the demi-demon looked away with a pained twist in his facial expression. "After we became mortal and decided to live our lives on earth as a family, I became distrustful of the people hanging around us, and paranoid of the world as a whole. I just thought that… if we had a child… and the humans found out about her lineage… then the nations of the world would send their agents after her to try and steal her gifts, and take her power for themselves. Because they're greedy and selfish. I wanted to protect both of you… but in doing so I became overcome by my fears and, in the end, lashed out at you when you needed me most."

Seeing the man shut his eyes and expression scrunch up, indicating how hard it was for him to say all of that, Miroku simply stood there in silence. As she weighed the words spoken to her and realized their significance, she slowly turned back to look ahead of her and, after thinking on it for a little, exhaled deeply in relief.

"It's okay, Moryu," Miroku answered, drawing the man's gaze to her again. "We were both scared and uncertain. After being immortal for so long… and then suddenly casting aside our divinity to transform ourselves into ordinary humans… the two of us started feeling emotions that none of our kind had ever experienced before. It was a completely new sensation and… because I was so terrified of what was happening to me… I never realized that the same thing could be happening to you. I took my own anger and frustration out on you, when instead I should've been trying to help you. But I didn't." She then looked across at her partner again and, when her pink eyes met his, a gentle smile tugged at her lips. "I really hope… that you'll be able to find it in your heart to forgive me."

Stunned by the woman's admission, Moryu gaped at her for a full five seconds, before a new smile appeared on his face and he gave his partner a nod. "Yeah. Of course I do. There's no way I could ever hold something like that against you… not after everything we shared." After sharing a look with her, the man then turned to look ahead of him once more and sighed. "I guess… this is it then."

"Yeah, it is," Miroku nodded sadly, but still smiled nonetheless.

As the pair stood side-by-side after getting their respective closures, they watched as their foe finished approaching them. Stopping half a mile out, the red-skinned Urashiki glared across at the two celestials that'd come out to face him. Seeing their respective exhausted and battered states compared to his own, the five-eyed fiend couldn't help but allow a grin to cross his jaw, as he figured he'd be able to power through them with the chakra that he had.

Fists clenching, the spiky haired Otsutsuki maxed out his chakra through his body for one last bout. "Let's finish this!" Reeling forward, the celestial let loose a bellow of rage, his muscles bulging as he sent his energy coursing through them. After gathering them in his legs, he then exploded forward and rocketed across the field at blinding speeds.

Miroku and Moryu meanwhile were ready. Their own chakra flaring up, the pair took two individual and unique stances. While the former slid into a wide stance with her palms flattened and positioned out wide to protect her front and back, the latter took on a more aggressive stance with his knees bent lower to the floor and his fingers curled into claws. Clenching their jaws, the pair also gave a might yell as their bodies became surrounded by a golden and purple glow respectively, before they then launched themselves at the fast-approaching Otsutsuki.

The two sides shot across the landscape like bullets, tearing trenches through the ground and sending rubble hurtling into the air. When they eventually met in the center, the two smaller celestials collided with their red-skinned adversary, with the force of their impact resulting in a colossal shockwave that not only punched a hundred-foot wide crater beneath them, but also split the country down the center. The moment the land literally cracked, both groups were thrown back from one another- with Urashiki hunched over due to the gut-shot he took, and Miroku and Moryu leaning back due to the shockwave.

Gagging out spit from his organs taking the hit, the oni Otsutsuki then grinned back up at his two foes in amusement, just in time to see them look back up as well and glare.

Throwing their feet back and digging them into the earth, Miroku and Moryu ground themselves to a stop. As soon as they did, they then bolted forward at their enemy and collided with him again, delivering a palm-strike and a knee to his body simultaneously. The moment the extra-terrestrial absorbed the two blows through his arms, Urashiki and his opponents then began laying into each other with a flurry of blindingly fast blows. Their movements literally blurred together as the two former Gods from Earth pressed into their opponent with palm, claw and knuckle strikes, crying out with every hit as they put all their strength behind every single blow.

As a result, the two glowing individuals started pushing Urashiki back at a terrific speed- the Otsutsuki struggling to keep up with both opponents. The more blows he attempted to give, the more counters he received, and little by little he was pushed back across the landscape, which quivered and shook under the impact of every punch that landed.

The group fought and travelled across the landscapes, leaving shockwaves and craters as they went. During which time, the planet started its final run into the sun, with more and more bits of the surrounding landscape starting to come apart and lift off into the sky. As another tectonic plate lifted into the atmosphere, more hills and mountains crumbled, sending their remains hurtling into the clouds and transforming into a miniature asteroid field in the sky.

Naruto and Shion bore witness to all of this, the duo remaining on their hillside and watching as their region started to collapse. When a shockwave from the fight travelled all the way over to where they were, the pair let out a yelp of fright when the ground around their hills caved in, and their platform jutted into the air, transforming into a plateau that elevated them above the disintegrating land.

Of course, since the entire planet was headed straight into the sun, this was just a small inconvenience overshadowed by an upcoming bigger tragedy. It was only a matter of time until this all ended.

After rushing their opponent with a barrage of nonstop attacks, Urashiki soon had enough of being the receiving end of their attacks and decided to end it. When a swift palm strike slammed across his face and cocked his head to the side, the oni let out a cry of rage and swung out at Moryu with an uppercut, nailing him in the stomach with a crushing body blow. The hit caused a loud thunderclap as the force traveled through the white-haired warrior and split the ground.

When Moryu choked up blood as he hunched over the celestial's arm, he quickly acted and grabbed hold of the limb- locking his opponent in place. The second he had him, Miroku leapt forward and nailed Urashiki in the face with a jumping knee. The dull crunch of her sharp blow caved in the Otsutsuki's face and sent the white-haired, five-eyed demon flying back across the land. After covering several dozen yards, the warriors spun himself into a backflip, landed deftly on the soil, and launched himself back towards the pair.

Miroku and Moryu were ready however. Coming together shoulder-to-shoulder, the man and woman cupped their hands to their sides before throwing them forward. Their duel yell was shortly followed by a flash of golden and blue light leaving their hands, which transformed into a blinding green beam of chakra that shot towards Urashiki.

The head of their attack slammed into the approaching enemy, who threw his arms up to block the attack. A sonic boom rang out when the blast picked Urashiki up before sending him flying through the air at breakneck speed- his scream echoing across the land as he was sent hurtling towards one of the rising tectonic plates several miles away.

In response, Miroku and Moryu let out another yell and unleashed threw more blasts, which arced through the sky and homed in on its retreating target. The moment they released them, the pair separated and sprinted after their ascending opponent, intent on catching up to him as quickly as possible.

Urashiki meanwhile was livid. Unable to do anything, the Otsutsuki could only spin helplessly through the sky as he was hit three times by the green blasts that came after the initial one. The blasts exploded against his body, rag-dolling him through the sky, until he was eventually slammed into the cliff-face of the rising tectonic plate. His body ended up sprawled out inside a human-sized crater, twitching and shaking as he angrily attempted to pull himself from the fissure.

Due to the damage, the celestial was unable to react fast enough when, from two different sides, he was attacked. Their bodies transformed into nothing but golden and purple flashes, Miroku and Moryu hiked up the rising field of asteroids towards their foe's position. In a blur, the two darted from one floating boulder to another on two different sides, eventually getting above their pinned target and diving down at him. The moment they were in range, Miroku and Moryu struck at him with two punches, one to the stomach and one to the face.

Their impact caused another blast of force to crack the plate of earth Urashiki was sitting again, leaving the man sandwiched between the fists of two opponents at once.

With their foe stunned, Miroku acted. _**"Tamashī mi Jōmae!"**_ (Soul-Body Lock) The moment she said this, a series of interlocking golden kanji markings spread over Urashiki's body from her hand. The chain of seals coiled and linked together instantaneously, forming loops and rings around his skin. As soon as they joined, they then turned black- searing themselves into his skin.

Urashiki's looked down at himself in alarm the moment he felt the technique grip hold of him. "Th-This is…" he gasped, before his eyes snapped towards the woman in outrage. "Y-YOU DARE?!"

Miroku grinned back at him as she hovered in front of him and kept her hand in place, "Now your soul and mine are tied together! If I die, my spirit will rip yours right out of your body, and drag it into the next life with me! That means you'll never be able to interact with the physical world ever again!" She then leered at him as she barked out, "YOU'RE MINE!" Her exclamation had the listening Moryu grin with glee.

"NO!" Urashiki screamed, with spit flying from his mouth as he ripped his arms out of the crater he'd been wedged into. "I am Urashiki Otsutsuki of the main family! And I refuse to be taken down by trash like YOOOOUUUUUU!" With another cry of fury, the man then unleashed a lightning fast barrage of hand and finger-strikes upon both Miroku and Moryu. Their bodies were peppered by gunfire as the two were simultaneously hit by the string of attacks, before they were eventually smashed into the cliff-face by Urashiki driving his fists into their bodies and using them to rip himself out of his position.

The man then kicked off the cliff wall, propelling himself down towards the slab of the planet below at blinding speed. When Miroku and Moryu recovered and tracked him through the debris field, both of them dropped down the cliff to give chase. It was then they noticed for themselves exactly where Urashiki was going, which caused their eyes to widen in panic when they saw he was heading straight for where Naruto and Shion were kneeling.

Urashiki's yell filled the air as he rocketed towards the two children, extending his right hand towards them as he came closer and closer. It was only a few seconds later till their terrified faces came into full focus, and the celestial was well on his way to reclaiming what he'd travelled all the way across the universe for.

"COME HERE, KYUUBI!" the Otsutsuki roared as the Rinnegan on his palm opened and flared into life. "YOUR CHAKRA IS MINE!" He then conjured up his energy rod, drew it back, and flung the blade forward, which shot ahead of him with the intent of impaling the boy and stealing his chakra.

Naruto bared his teeth and leapt in front of Shion- taking a defensive stance with his hands held in his trademark _**Uzuken**_ (Vortex Fist) position. "Oh, no you don't!"

However, just before he could launch a counter towards the oncoming scythe, Shion, removing her bell from her robe and holding it over Naruto's shoulder, let out a cry of fright and clenched her eyes shut. The instant she did, the tiny bell she was holding glinted a bright purple, before unleashing a blinding pink light towards the approaching threat. The beam expanded, not only shattering the approaching chakra weapon and its chain, but also shooting straight up towards Urashiki.

The celestial only managed to blink in disbelief before he was hit square in the face by the child's magical bell. The blast impacted his forehead and knocked him back with a thunderclap, drawing a yelp of pain from him as he was effectively blinded and sent spinning in the opposite direction from the hit.

Naruto, clearly surprised by the development, looked over his shoulder at Shion, who he could see was squinting up at the target she'd shot out of the air. "Whoa."

Seeing Urashiki get hit immediately put Moryu into action. As he and Miroku dove down the length of the rising cliff of the tectonic plate, the man's red eyes locked onto his partner and he yelled at her. "THROW ME AT HIM!"

Hearing him loud and clear, the woman nodded and, driving her feet into the cliff behind her, cupped her hands in front of her torso. "Right!" she shouted, loading up her arms as her ally maneuvered towards her and dropped his foot into her palm. Flaring her chakra and causing her body to become enveloped in a golden glow again, the High Priestess then flung her arms forward with all her might- giving out a yell of effort.

This ended in her throwing Moryu from the face of the cliff like a catapult launching a stone, the force of the launch causing a sonic boom to ring out as the demi-demon was sent hurtling towards the still airborne and stricken Urashiki. Throwing his arms forward into a superman dive, the white-haired Moryu allowed his purple chakra to explode around him as he rocketed towards the Otsutsuki like a comment.

His body streaked the two miles of distance between them in less than a second, with the stunned Urashiki managed to crack open an eye just in time to see Moryu close the last feet of distance between them, before colliding with him and knocking him out of the sky.

But the heroic former deity didn't stop there.

In the form of a bolt of purple light, Moryu powered Urashiki across the sky in a straight line, dragging both himself and the Otsutsuki across the collapsing landscape and straight towards the massive sun that they were approaching. The heat of the celestial body started to intensify and roast the landscape, and while the adult ninja fighting beneath its glaring rays weren't affected by it at all, the two children watching from the sidelines most certainly were.

However, thanks to Shion's magical bell and the shield Miroku had erected around the entire world, the two barriers combined to passively protect the two youngsters from all the harmful radiation now bombarding the planet. As they drew closer though, the shield around the young priestess increased in visibility in order to compensate for the intensifying heat.

Both Naruto and Shion could only watch it awe as Moryu pushed and dragged his stricken opponent across the burning sky, his purple form blazing like a comet as they started to ascend with the gravity. As they did, the jinchuriki kneeling beside Shion and keeping her anchored to the floor could only stare in disbelief.

"Is… Is he going to push that guy into the sun?!" Naruto spoke up in alarm.

Hearing the boy's startled words triggered Shion as well, the young priestess reeling forward in panic. "PAPAAAAAAAA!"

Her scream however became drowned out as explosions started to rip across the landscape around them. The insides of the planet they were on started to boil, as lava ripped towards the surface and set the entire world ablaze. This caused more of the planet to fracture and break apart, with even more chunks starting to collapse into the blazing sun that'd now swallowed up the entire sky. The clouds were pretty much gone, leaving nothing but a raging inferno burning above the children.

Moryu meanwhile continued to power on, his chakra shielding him against the heat and helping to propel both him and his Otsutsuki opponent towards the solar body. "You and I are going down together!" the man practically shouted, as he kicked his body into gear and picked up speed.

Knowing exactly where they were going, the enraged and terrified Urashiki growled angrily before taking matters into his own broken hands. "NO WE'RE _**NOT**_!" the Otsutsuki screamed, his red aura exploding around him as he then grabbed Moryu with his other hand and sent both of them into a spin. Both warriors were sent spiraling out of the sky, screaming, their course setting them towards another floating chunk of the planet that'd come loose.

The pair arced downwards at breakneck speed, whereupon they ended up crashing straight into the floating chunk of debris plummeting towards the star. As soon as they impacted it, which sent a cloud of dust and rubble flying into the air, the desperate Urashiki got to his feet with Moryu still clutching hold of his arm and, with a roar, cocked his arm back and slammed his opponent into the ground. He then dragged him through the rock in an attempt to shake him off, but despite the jagged bits of ground tearing into Moryu's body, the demi-demon refused to let go.

After Urashiki slammed his opponent into the floor several times, Moryu decided to fight back. His red eyes flaring into life, the man caught the Otsutsuki's palm when he attempted to Juken him in the face- taking holding of the massive man's fingers before bending them back sharply. The snap that rang out was followed by Urashiki's pained scream, as his hand's digits were effectively broken. With his opponent stunned, Moryu tightened his hold on his opponent's arm, slammed his feet into their floating platform, and held his ground.

The white-haired man then turned towards the sky and screamed at the top of his lungs, "MIROKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

As if answering his call, a glint of gold in the distance was shortly followed by the High Priestess appearing over the horizon. Her form streaked across the sky like a rocket, passing over Naruto and Shion's plateau, and allowing the children to catch one last, clear look of her as the woman powered through the atmosphere and shot straight towards Moryu's position.

Her angelic markings appearing at full glare, the woman's expression reflected an intensity unlike any she'd had before. With her chakra roaring from her body, the woman dove towards Moryu and Urashiki with a howl of bravery. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Urashiki barely had enough time to look over his shoulder in terror, a split second before the woman's blazing body collided with his with the force of an exploding warhead. The shockwave that rang out rippled across the entire planet, disintegrating the chunk of planet they were standing on, and smashing all three of them through the debris. A torrent of blood spewed out of Urashiki's throat as he was effectively spear-tackled through the asteroid, before being sent tearing across the sky, with Miroku and Moryu both pushing him through.

The unlikely couple clutching hold of the man's arms, keeping him pinned as their respective chakras exploded from them and drove them towards the sun.

Naruto and Shion meanwhile, after watching the slab of planet explode, were then hit by another shockwave that detonated another part of the land in front of them. Rubble was sent hurtling in all directions, and when the jinchuriki saw enormous chunks of mountain come flying towards them, wrapped his arms around his friend and yelled, "Hold on!"

A second later their surroundings were pelted by island-sized pieces of earth, pulverizing the landscape around them and destroying the edifice upon which they were positioned. Feeling the ground shake and give way beneath them, the blonde girl gave a shriek of fright and wrapped her arms around her companion. Moments later, the pair were sent hurtling into the sky and straight into the stratosphere, as all the weight suddenly left them and they were pulled into the gravitational well of the sun.

The barrier from Shion's bell fastened to her kimono protected them both, allowing the pair to soar safely through the debris field- bouncing off rocks and boulders of all sizes. When the pair looked up to where they were going, they saw the golden and purple bolt of the young priestess's parents soaring onwards, heading on a non-stop collision course towards the massive celestial body before them.

As the blonde woman with pink eyes and her white-haired partner with red eyes blasted on, holding onto their adversary with everything they had, Miroku looked across through her vibrating aura towards her partner. "Moryu," the woman spoke, prompting the man to look across at her. As soon as he did, the High Priestess smiled warmly at him. "I love you."

Blinking in shock, the demi-demon then grinned widely back at her. "I love you too." Snapping his eyes back towards the sun they were careening towards at full speed, an excited look flashed through his eyes as his chakra ripped from his skin like a gale. "You know what they say, Miroku- all good things must come to an end! But even better than that… THE GREATEST RIDE IS ALWAYS THE LAST ONE! WOOOOOWHOOOOOO!" As if in sync, the pair fired up their chakra and picked up speed, causing another sonic boom to ring out as they trekked straight into the upper stratosphere.

Hearing Moryu's joy caused Miroku to laugh, with the woman's happiness and renewed courage spurring her on.

Writhing and kicking as his body flew backwards at a ridiculous speed, Urashiki desperately tried to break out of the pair's hold. But try as he might, he simply couldn't, and let his frustrations known through several loud, spitting curses and shouts. "NOOOOO! I WILL NOT GO OUT LIKE THIS! YOU HEAR ME?! I WOOOOOOON'T!" the man roared, only for his anger to transform into screams of pain and fear when, as they approached the sun's surface, his body started to catch fire and crumble into ash.

Soon the bi-colored bolt was transformed into a tri-coloured comet, as the now burning mass of chakra and bodies made their final run towards the sun's surface.

The sight of her mother and father diving into the sun's range with their quarry in tow, and seeing their bodies start to become enveloped in flames, had the terrified Shion clutch hold of Naruto tighter and scream out at the top of her lungs. "KAAAAA-SAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Above the roaring flames of their burning target and the approaching sun, as they sailed through the incinerating debris field, Miroku looked over her shoulder. Seeing Naruto and Shion floating together in the distance, surrounded by their purple shield, the woman with the kaleidoscope eyes gave a small, warm smile, before holding her hand out towards them.

"Naruto-kun… Shion-chan… FLY!"

The moment she uttered those words, a dimensional gate of gold opened up in front of the two children, who then curled up as they fell straight into it. As the fiery inferno before them was replaced by the tranquil scene of a lake in the center of the wormhole, the pair prepared to dive into it- with Shion looking one last time past the event horizon towards the golden and purple forms of her parents in the distance.

With tears flying from her eyes, the little girl mustered one last, desperate cry, "KAAAAAAAA-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" A split second later, their world flashed white as the pair vanished into the dimensional rip and the gate closed behind them.

Miroku and Moryu meanwhile, both smiling turned to one another and clutched hold of each other's arms. With one final spurt, they forced their opponent towards the sun, whose burning form gave one last, high-pitched wail before his entire being was incinerated and transformed into ash. The moment he burned up within the sun's solar flare, the two adults then grabbed hold of one another, embraced, before they too burned, before transforming into a cloud of sparkling, white dust.

Their remains vanished into the vacuum of space, just seconds before the crumbling planet they were fighting on crashed into the sun and was incinerated.

There was no explosion, but a slow, brightly burning blast of fire that took place on the face of the sun, as it swallowed up the smaller celestial body.

And with that… the battle was over.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So if you haven't guessed yet and if you managed to spot the hints I dropped in the earlier chapters, Miroku and Moryu are the Gods that appeared in the Japanese folktale of _**Orihime** _and _**Hikoboshi**_ \- the two Gods that came from different stars and fell in love- and is a story that is told every July 7th during the Japanese _**Tanabata Festival**_.

Aside from them, Minato and Kushina also take part in the battle- showcasing their skills as ninja. They all combined their powers together, despite seemingly fighting individually, and were able to give a weakened Urashiki a run for his money. Not that difficult to believe considering Boruto in the anime was able to dance around a full-powered, transformed Momoshiki with shadow clones and land a few decent hits, and even catch him by surprise. This is of course factoring in Urashiki was caught completely by surprise by Minato and Kushina's unique styles of ninjutsu- Minato's spam teleporting with kunai and Naruto's portals, and Kushina's advanced fuinjutsu, both amplified by Kurama's and Naruto's chakra- that they were switching places continuously to confuse him, and the fact both of them had plenty of time to observe exactly how the Otsutsuki's abilities worked.

As I'm hinting throughout this story, Minato and Kushina are very strong shinobi (both Kage level, yes, so don't even bother commenting on that), and the Uzumaki will play an important role in the future to come.


	7. Otsutsuki Arc - New Beginnings

**Naruto**

 _ **ONI**_

 _New Beginnings_

(Oni no Kuni)

It was morning back on Earth and, just like the start of most days on this small ball of earth and water, the weather was calm and welcoming. The glow of the rising sun set against the rice fields and valleys of one of the many farmlands of the _Land of Demons_ made for a very gorgeous and peaceful scene. With the telltale signs of morning dew glistening against the grass blades and the sound of birds waking to the rays of light peeking over the horizon, there at first didn't appear to be a single thing that could ruin such a moment.

However, over one of the lakes of a nearby farm, beside a hill overlooking a greater part of the valley, there was a blinding flash of light followed by a big splash- as a dimensional rip the size of an ordinary door suddenly deposited two small bodies right in the middle of the pond. As soon as the pair were deposited from the wormhole into the water, the portal closed and vanished, leaving no trace of it behind.

The waves from the pair's landing in the loch took a few moments to settle. But once they did a few seconds later, the heads of both Naruto and Shion popped to the surface. Both gasping for breath, the former quickly wrapped his arms around the latter when he saw her flailing about- clearly unable to swim. Once he had her head above the water, he quickly began paddling his way towards the shore, which the pair eventually clambered onto after only being in the water for about two minutes.

Crawling up the rocks and onto the grass, the pair soon collapsed halfway up the hill, breathing heavily and soaking wet. After regaining their senses and making sure both of them were still alive, Naruto then helped Shion to her feet and walked with her up to the top of the hill. When they arrived there and looked out over the landscape that stood before them, they quickly realized that they were back on Earth and out of harm's way.

"We're… home?" Naruto murmured, looking about the rice fields covering the landscape. Well, technically they were back in the elemental nations. As to exactly where they were, he had no idea, but he could venture a guess that it wasn't _Hi no Kuni_ (Land of Fire). The trees were all wrong.

"Yes," Shion answered with a nod, at the same time recognizing the hills in the distance. "We're back in _Oni no Kuni_ … out in the farmlands."

Informed of where they were, Naruto's mood was quickly put at ease. But then, a few seconds later, the blonde suddenly heard Shion begin to sob and, when he looked across at her, he saw the girl was curled over, gritting her teeth, and trembling on the spot. He also noticed the tears that'd started to leave her eyes, leaving sad, glistening trails down her cheeks as she allowed her emotions to come forth.

"K-Kaa-san… and papa… th-they're… both… gone," the girl sniffled, her heavy breathing and sobbing prompting her to lift her arm up to her face and rub her eyes into her sleeve. Her robe quickly grew wet with her tears as she cried into her arm and did her best to keep from wailing. "Th-They… *sob*… they…"

Hearing her stammer and whimper openly into her arm immediately filled Naruto with a sense of sadness. His heart wrenching at the sight of the girl breaking down in front of him, the spiky haired young hero quickly moved over to her and wrapped his arm around her. The moment he made contact, the girl quickly turned into his embrace and started weeping into his jacket- not caring that her dignity as a young priestess was being effected or that she was staining his shirt. She let her feelings be heard and Naruto, being the kindhearted young man that he was, did his best to comfort her.

The two stood there, locked in one another's arms, doing their best to steer themselves through this moment. After the shocking, planet-busting events that'd transpired in the wake of the last few hours, the pair were obviously still shaken up by what they'd just witnessed. They had just observed a battle between a group of God-like beings, all of whom had the power to rip an entire world asunder, and literally send that world collapsing into the sun itself. The battle, though trivial in the eyes of the main participants, had extended beyond the human perceptions of what was normal, and ascended to the heights of the impossible.

In simple terms, Naruto and Shion had born witness to judgement day. A literal cataclysmic even that'd brought an end to an empty and desolate world, which had already played host to multiple wars and conflicts. Needless to say, the two children were more than a little bit distraught by everything that'd taken place, especially since they'd been the sole targets of the beings responsible for causing so much damage.

After standing there for a few minutes- with one of them crying and the other one doing his best to stop himself from falling into tears as well- the two eventually calmed down a little. However, just before any of them could decide on anything else or figure out what to do, the pair suddenly heard a voice call out their names.

"Naruto-kun… Shion-chan…"

Eyes widening, the young priestess quickly looked up and behind them. There, standing on the same hill as them beside a fallen tree log, Shion saw to her disbelief the forms of Miroku and Moryu- the former dressed in her shrine robes and the latter his shirt, eboshi and pants- standing beside one another and smiling at them. If that weren't surprising enough, Naruto also glimpsed two more figures beside them- that of his father and mother.

The four parents were standing in no particular form or way, but were gazing across at the children with expressions of warmth and joy.

It took a few moments, but the same emotion quickly filled Shion and Naruto as well, with the former wiping her cheeks clear before rushing towards her parents with a laugh. "Kaa-san! Papa! You're here!" she shouted, throwing herself into her mother's arms when she knelt down to catch her. "You're here! I can't believe it!" The moment her limbs clapped around her parent's neck, the girl hugged her for all she was worth, with Miroku happily returning the child's show of affection.

"Hello, Shion-chan," the priestess whispered, closing her eyes as she felt her daughter sink her face into her collar. All the while Moryu stood beside her, beaming down at the mother and daughter. "Heh. Did you miss us?"

"Yes," Shion squeaked, a wide smile on her face as she happily embraced her mother. "Yes… I did…"

Naruto meanwhile walked over to where his father and mother were, partially in a daze, yet still managing to consciously smile when he stopped in front of them. "H-Hey, guys? When did you… how did-?" the jinchuriki asked, completely baffled by what he was seeing right now, as he thought for sure his parents were still sealed up inside of him.

Kushina simply smiled at him before then looking towards where Shion and her parents were. "Your priestess friend over there… you can thank her for doing this for us. She may not look like much on the outside in her priestess robes, but she's got some pretty crazy sealing abilities. Heck, her binding and marking techniques are even more advanced than mine."

"Well… that's not surprising, considering she's an actual Goddess and all," Minato also commented with a slight laugh. "There's no way a couple of ordinary humans like us can ever compete with the likes of her."

"Yeah. I guess," Naruto chuckled, before turning to them and grinning broadly. "But the two of you got pretty close, y'know." After seeing them both smile down at him, the spiky-haired child wasted no more time and quickly walked up to Kushina, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. The woman responded by hugging him back, at the same time running her hand gently through his hair.

After separating from her parent a full minute later, Shion blinked as she then took a moment to look her mother over. "W-What happened? I thought that you and papa flew into the sun." Sniffling and rubbing her nose on her sleeve, the obviously confused young girl looked her the woman in the eyes. "I thought you were both dead."

It was then a sad look came upon Miroku, who shared a momentary look with Moryu before turning back to her child. "Oh, sweetheart…" Reaching up to tentatively run her hands down her little girl's silky locks, the priestess was unable to stop the shimmer of unshed tears from coming to her eyes as she used every second of that moment to burn the memory of her daughter's face into the back of her mind. "I know that you don't want to hear this… and that it's completely unfair. But… your father and I… we're no longer in this world anymore."

Shion blinked in confusion. "W-What do you mean?"

"We're dead, Shion-chan," Moryu spoke, stepping over to his daughter and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up at him, the white-haired male smiled sadly at her. "Your mother and I… we gave our lives to defeat the Otsutsuki by forcing him into the star. Because of how powerful the three of them were together, in order to make sure none of them ever interfere with future generations or events, your mother imprinted a seal onto them that bound their spirits to ours. That meant when we died, the two of us would be able to pull their souls into the afterlife, and ensure they never harm anyone again."

Miroku nodded at her partner's words, while at the same time watching Shion's shocked face look between them. "We had no other choice, sweetheart. The moment the two of us started using our powers in battle, our bodies started to collapse from the inside out. Whatever life force we had was burned up when we used our celestial chakra to defeat those monsters… a steep price we had to pay after giving up our lives as Gods to become human." The priestess then searched her daughter's eyes sadly, before gently reaching up to cup her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Shion-chan… but we won't be able to stay here for much longer. Your father and I will have to eventually move on."

The news of this hit Shion hard, but not as hard as it initially did when she thought for sure her parents had just disappeared without saying a word. Instead, the girl once again felt tears come to her as she clenched her fists and closed her eyes. After a few moments of feeling her mother's warm touch against her face, the little girl looked up and gave a stiff nod.

"I… I understand."

Beaming, Miroku then looked up to where Naruto was standing by his parents, and nodded considerately towards them. "This technique will last for just over an hour. That means you and your family have roughly that long to spend with each other and catch up. Since we'll be disappearing after that, I recommend you make every second you have count."

"Will do," Minato bowed his head, while Kushina looked down at her son and grinned.

"It seems that fate has been kind enough to give us a chance to be together," Kushina chirped, before then giving a joyful grin a second later. "Even if it is for a short time, I'm sure we can make the most of it. Are you… okay with that, Naruto-kun?"

The jinchuriki, having never expected to have a chance like this, practically jumped on the spot with excitement. "Yeah! Of course, dattebayo! I'll take every millisecond I can get to talk to my mum and dad!"

And so from there, the two families moved to the fallen tree lying nearby on the same hill where, upon sitting themselves on different sides of the trunk and getting comfortable, started using that one hour given to them to talk and catch up with their respective children.

For Shion, while she spent much of her time cozied up to her mother and allowing the woman to stroke her head, she used the first half of that cycle to talk to her estranged father. This being the first time she'd really met with her other parent and first time she was able to speak with him during a normal situation, it made sense that there were a lot of questions that needed to be asked and a lot of lost time that needed to be regained. But after moving past the initial series of questions as to "where he'd been" and "what did he do", Moryu started asking his daughter about all the little things he'd missed in her life up until that point.

Excited to be able to share all her happiest memories with her father, Shion talked about her little adventures around their family's estate, the many guards she hung out with, the times her mother surprised her on her birthdays with presents, the trips they went on to other temples and places of interest, and of course her most recent meeting with Naruto- and how the two of them became fast friends. It was that last bit of information that really drove the nail home for Miroku and Moryu both, as they could see their child was obviously really happy to have met the young shinobi-in-training and spend time with someone her own age. Thanks to her powers being problematic for her amongst the rest of the villagers, it was a real relief for them to hear she was at least able to meet someone during her childhood who could fill in that void of loneliness for her.

On Naruto's end, it was pretty much the same thing between him and his parents. Having never met them or even heard their names before, the spiky haired blond used his time asking them about who they were and where they came from. While Minato explained he came from a small, little-known shinobi family, Kushina explained to her son how she came from what was once regarded as one of the most powerful clans in the world- the Uzumaki Clan- and how they were related to the Senju Clan. She also explained how her family had been forced to migrate to _Konohagakure_ after their village ended up wiped out in an attack by an unknown enemy force, which scattered any and all survivors of their people to the far corners of the world.

Naruto was very intrigued to hear all of this and was even surprised to hear how the book he'd been learning ninjutsu from- the _Omni-Dimensional Ninjutsu Implementation_ encyclopedia- was actually a secret tome that originated from his family.

"So… you're saying… my book really came from _our_ clan?" Naruto asked in surprise as he looked across at his mother.

The beaming Kushina nodded briskly. "Uh-huh. That journal you've been using has been passed down through members of the main family for generations, and is the tome where most of our clan's most powerful techniques were ever recorded. The book itself was specially inscribed with a blood seal, which means only members of the Uzumaki Clan are capable of reading the jutsu listed in those pages… making it exclusively an Uzumaki _Hiden_ (Secret Technique) encyclopedia. If anybody else attempts to read from it, the writing would be completely illegible to them, so you don't have to worry about it being stolen." She then tilted her head and looked up thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly, members of the main family who were being trained to become part of the Uzukage's elite guard exclusively used the jutsu from that book."

"Then… that means," Naruto began as his mind thought back to the day he first received that book, "Haruka-baachan… she was… an Uzumaki too? A member of our clan?"

Kushina smiled sadly. "She and I came to Konoha together with some of the other surviving families. Though I didn't know her personally, she was a relative and a member of one of the main branches of the Uzumaki Clan, as well as a high-ranking member of the Uzukage's Elite Guard. From what I heard, she was a fiercely powerful kunoichi in her prime… possessing fuinjutsu and ninjutsu skills that made her one of the most dangerous ninja in our old village."

"Whoa," Naruto murmured, immediately feeling a renewed sense of respect and reverence towards the old woman who he'd helped all those months ago, and who helped him by giving him the book in the first place. He then beamed warmly as he looked down at his feet contemplatively. "I guess I should be feeling pretty lucky that I was able to meet her when I did."

"Indeed," Kushina spoke up, at the same time wrapping an arm around the child tentatively. "You were able to speak with one of the last living members of the Uzumaki Clan in _Konohagakure_ before she passed away. An encounter like that is not something many children your age often get, especially during a time when a lot of the once great families and clans of the world have started to disappear."

"Well… I know one thing's for sure," Naruto began again, looking up at his mother and father brightly as his legs swung back and forth on their seat, "I'm going to do right by Haruka-baachan and our family, and learn every last technique recorded in that journal! I want to become a strong and capable shinobi just like you and dad someday… and I'm not going to stop until my own face is carved into our village's mountain!" He said this while bringing up his hand and making a fist. "I'm going to help the world and become a shinobi that everyone will remember, dattebayo!"

While Kushina was practically smiling from ear to ear, Minato couldn't help but give a laugh as he reached over and ruffled the boy's hair. "And that's exactly why _you_ are _our_ son," the Fourth chuckled.

The two groups talked a lot about all sorts of stuff- from mundane material of everyday life to the more essential things, including how to take care of themselves. Minato and Kushina specifically emphasized a lot of these points to Naruto, as they knew their son lived alone and needed to learn a lot of these things on his own. They told him to keep an eye on the expiration dates for foods and drinks, to not spend money on junk, to practice his ninjutsu and taijutsu regularly, to bathe every day, and to sleep plenty. They also gave him a few tips to help him with his studying, including how to problem solve, and to use these techniques to improve his speaking, literacy and language skills.

Then, when all was said and done, it soon came time for the parents to wrap up. This became apparent when Minato and Miroku noticed their glowing bodies starting to pulse and fade slightly, indicating that they were reaching their respective time limits.

Standing up after realizing their chakra was waning, the two pairs of parents then moved in front of their children for one last farewell. Shion took this especially hard, as the young girl stood up and grabbed her mother by the hands when she knelt down in front of her.

"It's almost time, Shion-chan," Miroku said, at the same time gazing into her child's eyes. "We have to move on."

"I…" the young priestess sniffled, "I don't want you to go. You or papa. I…"

Sensing her daughter's fear growing, the glowing mother smiled comfortingly. "I know you don't, sweetheart… and neither do I. But I'm afraid this is how it must be." She then gently reached up with her hand and ran it down her child's long hair. "My destiny… my future extends into the next life, _beyond_ this one. But yours… your destiny is here… and it is just beginning."

"B-But I… I don't want to face my future all by myself…" Shion whimpered, shaking her head as her eyes shone with hurt and sadness. "I want you to be there with me… by my side."

"You're not alone," Miroku whispered while shaking her head and bowing it to her daughter. "You'll _never_ be alone. Your father and I… we'll always be with you… right _here_." She then raised her hand and placed her finger in the center of her daughter's chest. Though her heart wasn't there, Shion knew right away the exact meaning of the gesture, and looked into her mother's face forlornly. "You'll always carry a part of us wherever you go."

"And remember… no matter what you choose to do with your life… and no matter who you want to become… we will always love you," Moryu spoke up, drawing his daughter's attention to him and up to his face. When he saw her gaze at him, the man put on a brave and happy grin. "You're a strong girl, Shion-chan. So whether you want to become a priestess, a farmer, a worker, a leader, or a teacher… we know you will be great at it."

Sniffing a couple of times, Shion suddenly moved away from her mother and rushed over to her dad, upon which she then wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. The father knelt down to return it- bracing his child against him while taking a deep breath to compose himself. Once he was sure he'd returned her gesture to the best of his abilities, he then let her go and gently poked her in the nose- prompting her to giggle from the little tickle it caused.

In that moment, Shion then looked across at Naruto. When she saw the boy giggle when his father ruffled his hair to the point it got messy beyond belief and then saw his mother wipe his cheek off, the little priestess felt her heartbeat quicken and her face glow with warmth. Despite knowing his parents were leaving him too, the young ruffian from Konoha still managed to muster a smile, and face them with the same energy and bravado as he did everything else. Though she'd only known him for a short while, she knew right away that he was someone far different from anybody else she'd met.

He approached her when everybody else kept their distance. He played with her when everybody else was too afraid to look at her. He spoke with her and gave her company when she was all alone. She was a priestess, yet he treated her and spoke to her like she was a normal person. And even more, he protected her and risked his own life for her when the world was literally crashing down around them. Through the best and worst moments of the last two days alone, he showed a strength and character that went above and beyond anything Shion had ever seen in another person, and more. In a way, his spirit radiated with the same strength and compassion as her mother's, and it was an observation that she just could not ignore.

His strength was awe-inspiring and his life force was captivating in all its vivacity. Shion admired these traits about him. Not only did his presence resonate with her own in a very prevailing way, but simply gazing upon his air lit a fire in her heart that washed away all of her insecurities and woes. Even right now, when she was saying goodbye to her parents and Naruto his, there was a speck of warm light beckoning her… and that light was coming from the blond haired youngster.

Whether she understood these feelings or comprehended their significance at all was beyond anyone's knowledge. But one thing was for sure, Shion didn't want to let these sensations go. So, in that moment of clarity, the child steeled her heart and tightened her jaw, before facing her parents with a clear expression of assertiveness.

"I… I want to be with Naruto-kun," Shion said, causing Miroku and Moryu to balk slightly at her response. "I want to go with him to Konoha, learn ninjutsu… and become a strong shinobi… just like him."

Quickly looking at one another and processing their child's words, the two celestial parents then shared a smile, before Miroku quickly looked back at Shion and nodded. "Alright. If that's what you want." She then calmly took her daughter's hand in hers and, after opening up her fingers, lifted her finger and gently drew across it. As she did, a golden light shone from the area her nail traced over, leaving the child with an intricate, kanji seal of an unknown origin. As the child watched her mother draw it, Miroku spoke. "This seal holds everything you'll ever need to know about your powers and how to master them. If you are going to be learning the techniques from the warriors of this world, the light of this mark will guide you through them." Assured that the seal was complete, the woman then gently closed her daughter's fingers. "The strength of your father's and my blood flows through your veins."

"As long as you believe in yourself, stay true to your heart, and not be led astray, you will be able to accomplish _anything_ ," Moryu concluded, watching as Miroku released her daughter's hand and watched Shion look down at the seal she'd drawn.

While Shion admired the seal her mother had drawn on her palm and then moved in to hug her for what would be the last time, Naruto also shared his last moments with his parents. On their part of the hill, his red-haired beauty of a mother stood before him and his father stood beside her, speaking his parting words to his boy. Everything they'd had to say had been relevant to the boy and his future, right up to the very last minutes of their time on Earth.

"We'll see you around, son," Minato spoke, at the same time feeling his body start to shimmer on the wind, as the projection of his remaining chakra from his son's body through Miroku's power started to fade. "Remember everything we told you. Stay safe, eat well, study your jutsu-"

"And always keep being the same, kind, sweet boy that you always are," Kushina chimed in, also looking happy as she gazed back at her child, who was still smiling up at her. "The world will be a much better place for it. But… just don't be _too_ nice to everyone. Be tough as well… and smart… otherwise people will take advantage of you."

"Don't worry mum… I'll be alright," Naruto whispered back, at the same time nodding towards the two adults standing in front of him- their forms slowly but surely growing transparent in the light of the sun. "Now that I know where I come from and who my parents are, I have a pretty good idea of who to live up to… and… y'know… who I'm going to _surpass_." The cheeky grin he gave afterwards caused Minato to snicker, while the mother chuckled and, reaching up, pinched his cheek.

"And don't act too cocky either," Kushina said with a smirk. "Girls won't like it if you try to act like a bigshot. Be cool and indifferent about it… and suave. Trust me. It'll be worth it." When she saw Naruto settle down a bit from his little jab, the woman's warmth returned to her expression as she then took his hand and turned it over. Finding his wrist, she then traced her thumb over it, leaving a trail of black seal marks along it. When the small kanji formed into a few tiny rows, the jinchuriki quickly took notice of it, which then led to his mother telling him what they are. "Some extra seals, just in case."

After checking them out for a moment, Naruto then tilted his head up at his mother and father. "What are they?"

"Just a couple of things- notes, techniques, hints… and a small message for Hiruzen from your father and I. That one is really important, so make sure to give it to him as soon as you get home," Kushina said, before then suddenly remembering something that had her lean towards her boy seriously. "Oh, and if you happen to come across him one of these days… and I'm pretty sure you will… watch out for Jiraiya-sensei."

Upon seeing the look in the kunoichi's eyes, Naruto gave a brisk nod of understanding- figuring he shouldn't ask her that right away. Once he had this information in hand, the youngster then moved forward and threw his arms around his mother in one last hug. When Kushina gladly returned it and kissed him on the side of the head, the child allowed the few tears he'd been holding back to roll free. It was something that his mother sensed as she held him close to her, which in turn also had her own tears roll free.

"Remember Naruto… never forget who you are. Aim for your goals… hold onto your dreams… and never stop trying to make them come true," Kushina whispered as she rubbed the boy's head, her body fading away just a little bit more as she held him close to her. "There's so much more I want to say to you… so much more I want to teach you. I… I love you… _so much_."

Naruto sniffed as he rubbed his cheek into his mother's hair and breathed deeply. "I love you too, mum." He then cracked open his eyes and looked up at his father, whom he saw step in and, bending over, moved in to hug him too. "You too, dad."

"Never forget, son," Minato whispered as well, rubbing his child's back as he was embraced by his mother. "We'll always be watching over you." Feeling his chakra fading, the male closed his eyes and smiled, allowing the last wisps of energy to envelop their son, right down to the last millisecond.

The blond youngster didn't open his eyes. Instead he savored every last moment of his hug with his parents- embracing their warmth and cherishing the words they'd left with him. After about a minute, he soon felt their physical forms leave him, and when he opened his eyes, he saw their smiling faces fade away and get taken on the wind in the form of a cloud of glowing dust.

Shion saw her parents get whisked away in the same manner, both of whom held onto her till their forms vanished and were taken into the wind. The sparkling dust that their bodies turned into joined with Minato and Kushina's, with the young priestess following after them across the hill.

Both children chased the dust to the edge of the rise, ending with them standing side by side, and gazing out across the landscape as the spirits of their parents took to the clouds. Their eyes didn't stray, nor did they blink, as they traced the path of the embers, which sailed away over the horizon and into the clouds.

Moments later, they were gone, leaving Naruto and Shion standing together and staring out over the rice fields of the _Land of Demon's_ pristine landscape. With their emotions still stirring, both blondes then shared a glance with one another, with the young girl gently taking the hand of her friend and clutching it tightly in hers. The boy smiled back at her in response, before the two of them returned to gazing out across the countryside, and watching as the sun continued to rise higher into the sky.

XXX

(A month later)

Naruto's little side-adventure to _Oni no Kuni_ had seen him go through some of the craziest and most ridiculous events the child had ever lived through. Any normal person would've easily been driven made by all the world-ending, physics defying, moments that'd taken place in and around that region, and the chaos that unfolded between the parties involved. From the very start of his quest, the jinchuriki had served as a victim, a witness, and a participant to everything that'd taken place. More so the former than the latter, due to the fact that he'd been so completely an utterly out of his depth that he was surprised he didn't come out the other end with a few screws shaken loose.

However, despite all the insanity that'd taken place, Naruto walked away feeling more enlightened, fulfilled, and fired-up. If what he had just witnessed had been just one shot at an end-game moment, then he knew he had a long way to go in life before he was even close to reaching the scale demonstrated by the warriors that'd used an entire planet as a veritable boxing ring.

Once all had been said and done of course, Naruto had been left with one last chore to complete, and that was getting home safe and sound. The journey back to _Hi no Kuni_ (Land of Fire) had been no big deal. After managing to get Shion home, return her in the care of her palace's guardsmen, and informing them of the events that'd transpired in the wake of their kidnapping, the then organized for his safe passage back home. Apparently all of the staff at the palace's estate were all very grateful to the youngster for returning their beloved little priestess to them, and wanted to reward the boy for his bravery and service. A bath and a patch up of his arm were his immediate treatments, followed by a cart and horse were drawn for him from the stables.

Before Naruto left with the escort assigned to him, he bid his farewells to Shion and expressed his desires to see her again in the foreseeable future. The girl of course rather stubbornly refused to let him leave her sight so easily- not without first making him leave her his contact and postal details, and the name of the village he originated from. Upon being strong-armed for this information, Naruto hopped into the cart that'd been readied for him, and headed straight home.

It took roughly three days before the child set foot on familiar territory. When the cart eventually rolled up to Konoha's front gates and Naruto disembarked at the checkpoint, he was quickly patted down and taken to the Hokage's office by a squad of Chunin. During the time he'd been away, Hiruzen had apparently become very worried about the child's condition and well-being, due to him being absent from class as well as his apartment for several days. As a result, the Hokage had sent out several squads of shinobi to search for him around the village, but when they weren't able to locate any traces of him, they started to widen their search parameters beyond the borders of their community.

When Naruto eventually turned up just short of a week following his mysterious disappearance, the Third Hokage was understandably relieved, upset, and annoyed all at once. The jinchuriki, deciding tact was the best approach for this situation, apologized repeatedly for causing the elder so much trouble, and did his best to explain the reasons for his absence.

Understandably Hiruzen didn't believe him at first, especially when he told him about the Otsutsuki and the battle they'd waged on another planet across the stars. The elder even had half a mind for smacking the child over the head for talking such nonsense, as evident by his peeved expression. That was until Naruto transferred the message his mother had imprinted on his forearm onto an empty scroll and handed it over to the village's leader to read.

Though the blond managed to glimpse only a portion of the message, which mentioned something about the _Otsutsuki_ , the _Uchiha Clan_ and some other political nonsense, he didn't pick up anything else. However, even though most of what his parents had written down went completely over his head, Hiruzen was noticeably shaken up by the message written on it, but also satisfied to have read it. After going through it at least twice, the Third soon found Naruto's rather baffling story much easier to believe now and, after expressing his gratitude to the boy for bringing it to him and seeing he was alright, he promptly dismissed him.

The blond immediately figured the Third now had a lot of things on his mind to sort out after reading that letter from his parents. So rather than raise a fuss over it, Naruto decided to go straight home to clean himself up and asleep- as it'd felt like ages since he'd last slept in the comforts of his own bed.

The next day, after a good, long night of dreams and snuggling up to his pillow, Naruto punctually returned to his rigorous training schedule. With a renewed sense of purpose and vigor helping to spur him on, after making sure he was dressed and had brushed his teeth, the child went right over to his regular training spot and hit the field, determined to get a handle on the fuinjutsu he'd still yet to master. After a quality morning of training, he went home, had a quick rinse, breakfast, and then went to school.

Surprisingly, Naruto found that a couple of the kids from his class had missed him quite a bit in his absence- most notably Sakura and Ino. As it turns out, the two girls had come over to his place a few times over the week to see if he was alright, as he hadn't been showing up for classes. They actually grew so worried that they even asked their teacher if he'd heard anything from the boy, but to no avail. Needless to say, both of them were really thrilled to see the cool young blond back in his usual seat, and wasted no time in hovering around him and shooting him with a million questions at once.

While Naruto answered them as best as he could, he still kept the more exciting and unbelievable aspects of his adventure out of the equation- just in case. The last thing he wanted to do was chase away two potential best friends over a farfetched story, even if it was a hundred percent true.

Aside from Sakura and Ino, who were very delighted to have him back, Choji and Shikamaru were also pleased to have their friend rejoin the folds of their class. The boys even approached him to see how he was, just like how their fellow girl classmates had, though with a little less enthusiasm. Naruto of course was more than happy to accommodate them and made up for lost time by hanging out with them at recess and lunch chatting over a couple of rice balls.

Overall, Naruto's transition back into school life was smooth and uneventful. Even his teacher was uncharacteristically lenient with him and forgiving of his absence, though for some reason the blond suspected the Third Hokage might have had a hand in this. Either way, now that he was back in _Konohagakure_ and back at the academy, the whisker-marked boy wonder was eager to return to something normal for a change. He definitely deserved it after all the superhuman cataclysms that'd transpired earlier that week.

Before he knew it, an entire month had come and gone, and Naruto was living the life he wanted. On one particular morning, he found himself sitting in his usual spot, in the center row, in the middle of his classroom- bathed in the light of the rising sun outside and in the company of his closest friends. Sakura had come in earlier that day and immediately migrated over to where he was sitting, where she proceeded to chat with him and play him in a spirited game of checkers.

Shikamaru had also migrated over- clearly finding an interest in the little game they were playing and silently giving it a go in his head while he watched from the seats directly behind the pair. The last to join their circle was Ino. The moment she entered the class and spotted them, the tomboyish blonde made a B-line for them, crawled up onto the desk they were using, and laid herself down right beside Naruto, who was doing his best to try and beat Sakura at her own game.

Even though he was losing quite badly at it- as he had to watch as Sakura stole one of his pieces after another- Naruto was still having a great time.

As the jinchuriki and the girls snickered together, and Shikamaru just smiled tiredly, towards the back of the room the group were being watched by a couple of individuals. Two of which were Kiba and Shino, both of whom were wearing their regular clothes, and had earlier been talking with one another over a comic they'd both been reading. Near them, just a few seats down and across the class, there was another girl watching the group closely from a safe distance. Wearing a purple shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back, a khaki skirt and red sandals, with her black hair tied back into a ponytail, a quiet young girl was sitting silently and observing Naruto with interest.

Aside from those mentioned, the rest of the class kept to their own business, and went about their morning as usual. As the minutes drew towards the start of the school day and the first lesson, Sakura eventually made another move on the checkers board which took one of the last of Naruto's pieces.

"And… that's another one for me," the pinkette chirped happily.

"Ah, man! Again?" Naruto exclaimed, reaching up with his hand to scrub his hair. "How are you so good at this game, Sakura-chan?"

The young girl giggled and winked at him, "Easy. I just am."

Ino shook her head when she saw her friend hand the boy another loss. "You really need to start thinking a few steps ahead if you want to have a chance at beating Sakura, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah. I think I'm going to have to start doing that," Naruto groaned, all the while looking down at the board and his multitude of missing pieces- which had been taken by his opponent.

Before the group could get the chance to play another game, the door to their classroom opened, and in strolled their instructor for the first lesson- Suzume. The kunoichi looked just like how she did every other day, sporting her pink kimono-style robe, fishnet uniform, and square-rimmed glasses. As soon as she entered the classroom, her presence immediately prompted all of the children to scatter from their groups and find their seats. By the time she'd arrived at her desk, Naruto and Sakura had packed up all their pieces, and were now sitting quietly beside one another.

The other person sharing their row was Sasuke, who'd remained pretty much silent throughout the entire time the rest of the class were mingling.

"Good morning, class," Suzume spoke, which resulted in the entire group greeting her with a loud and clear 'good morning' in kind. Adjusting her glasses so that the lenses flashed, the dark haired academy instructor then started off with her announcements. "I'm sure you're all eager to begin your lessons today. But before I start the roll and move on to our regular announcements, we have a new student joining us today."

This news immediately had the boys and girls in the rows clamoring with excitement, which immediately had many of the friends turning to each other and wondering out loud who it could be. The boys thought it was going to be another male student moving in from another village, while the girls thought it was somebody that they could invite over for fun and games.

Quickly settling the group down with a prompt hand wave, Suzume continued where she left off. "She and her caretakers arrived in _Konohagakure_ from _Oni no Kuni_ (Land of Demons) a few days ago, and have just finished settling into their new estate. The building they are currently staying at rests on the edge of the administration district, which the Hokage recently appointed as their country's new embassy. Considering the Land of Demons is one of our many important allies and trading partners, anyone coming into our village from that country is considered our friend. And they should be treated as such." Raising her head when she saw the understanding looks come upon her students' faces, the Chunin continued. "Now, since our new student is a guest here and is new to our school's system, I would like all of you to do your very best to welcome her into our class and make her feel part of our community."

Naruto's head perked up when he heard the name of the country that this new student was coming from. "The Land of… oh…" the jinchuriki murmured, his eyes quickly darting towards the door just like the rest of his class. _"Could it be?"_

"You can come in now," Suzume called towards the door, a few seconds before the entrance slid open. The entire class immediately went quiet the moment they saw a young girl around their age stroll through the arch and make her way to the front. When she stopped beside the teacher, she turned and faced the class. "Please introduce yourself."

The moment all eyes landed on her, the entire class found themselves a little loss for words. Unlike the majority of them, who were wearing very casual attires for their generation, consisting of mostly shirts, shorts, skirts, jumpers, jackets and outdoor slippers, this newcomer had adopted a much more formal look. Appearing very much as a shrine maiden, the girl was wearing a yellow haori (kimono jacket) with a tiny pink bell attached to the collar, and red hakama pants over white socks and sandals. This ensemble complimented her elegant appearance, as the girl had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail, pale white skin, and a pair of striking pink eyes.

She almost looked like a princess taken straight out of one of the fairy tales that they read as part of their literature classes- someone who was mysterious and magical.

Placing her hands in front of her- one on top of the other- the blonde youngster straightened up before bowing politely to the class. "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Shion Hirakawa from the Land of Demons- daughter of the High Priestess. I really look forward to working with all of you," she said this all with a strong and calm tone, and when she straightened up, her expression did not falter in the slightest.

As the rest of the class whispered to one another excitedly, Sakura leaned over to Naruto and nudged him in the arm. "She's so pretty... and her eyes are so bright. She almost looks just like a doll."

"Y-Yeah," Naruto stuttered, watching as Shion's eyes scanned the classroom in front of her thoroughly. When her eyes eventually landed on him and their gazes met, the two of them felt their breaths stop for but a moment.

Immediately recognizing the blonde with whiskers staring back at her, the long-haired girl then felt her heart start to beat faster and her body lift up off the ground with excitement. In that moment, a bright smile filled her face and her eyes lit up with happiness. The moment her expression changed, so did Naruto's, who returned her joyful look with one of his own. As a result, his characteristic, Uzumaki grin stretched across his lips at full force.

Seeing Shion smiling up at the class and seeing that it was Naruto she was focusing on, the slightly surprised Suzume cleared her throat and spoke to her new transfer student. "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Positively beaming at this point, the radiant young priestess from the Land of Demons turned to the teacher next to her, grinned, and then looked back at the class just as eagerly. "When I grow up, I want to become a strong shinobi."

It was a precious and powerful moment, one that both Naruto and Shion would burn into their memories.

While all this was going on, inside the confines of the Eight Trigrams seal imprinted on Naruto where the pocket dimension dwelt, the enormous, towering for of the Kyuubi- no longer constrained by the bars of his previous cell- could be seen lying peacefully in his chamber with his arms crossed and his head lying atop his forearms.

Having observed the moment for himself through his connection with his host, the giant orange fox with nine tails cracked open one of his deep red eyes, and allowed a small smile to appear. Seconds later, he shut his gaze and went back to sleep.

Though nothing else was said in that moment- and though he had no idea what the future held for them- the kitsune had a feeling that things were going to get interesting.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Aaaand… time skip next to graduation!

I'm going to do a flash forward to gloss over the parts that I initially wanted to cover. But I'm going to approach this story a little bit differently from the others I've done. Let's see how it goes.


	8. Author Note of Story Changes

**Author's Note IMPORTANT: Hello. To all those who are wondering, I had a brain wave.**

 **Much like with my Dragonball Z: Golden Age story, I've decided to make some changes to this one.**

 **After much deliberation and consideration, I'm deleting the Academy Arc chapters I wrote after the Otsutsuki Arc. I want to erase the OCs I included and write the story in a different way, and because I enjoyed the way I wrote the Otsutsuki Arc, I'm keeping the Otsutsuki Arc the same. This way I can be rid of the Otsutsuki without having to worry about them popping up and ruining future events... which eventually leads to the horrendous Boruto series. Love it or hate it, I personally don't like it. So don't expect Boruto showing up in this timeline.**

 **Anyhow, that's all I have to say in case anyone is wondering where the other chapters disappeared to.**


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